Wilma Rudolph was a famous track and field athlete. She was born premature on July 23, 1940 in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. She was a very sick child who had to wear a brace on her left leg. She overcome her disabilities through physical therapy and hard work. Soon after, she went on to becoming a fast runner. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics in 1960, at the Summer Games in Rome. Later after, she worked as a teacher and track coach. She died on November 12, 1994 in Brentwood, Tennessee, losing a battle with brain cancer. Wilma’s childhood was very poor. At age 4, she contracted infantile paralysis caused by the polio virus. Her parents were Ed and Blanche Rudolph. She had 21 siblings from her father’s two marriages. She had to wear a metal leg brace at age 6. She suffered from double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and later she contracted wilma polio. She also had whooping cough, …show more content…
She won 3 gold medals at a single Olympics in 1960, at the Summer Games in Rome. She set a world record of 11.3 seconds in the 100-meter dash in the semifinals, she won the 100 in the final round with a time of 11.0. Similarly, she broke the Olympic record in the 200-meter dash, which was 23.2 seconds in the semifinals, before beating the 200 original time which was 24 seconds in the final. She was also part of the U.S. team that beat the world record in the 4-by-100 meter relay, her time was 44.4 seconds in the Olympic semifinals, beating the original time that was 44.5 seconds. Rudolph made numerous appearances on television and received several honors, including the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year Award, which she received twice, in both 1960 and 1961. She married William Ward from 1961-1963, and then they got divorced. Shortly after that she married Robert Eldridge from 1963-1980. Wilma retired from competition not long after, becoming a teacher and a track