Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph
Rudolph in 1960
Personal information
Birth nameWilma Glodean Rudolph
Full nameWilma Glodean Rudolph[1]
Nickname(s)Skeeter[2]
The Black Gazelle
The Tornado
The Black Pearl
The Flash
The Track Star
Born(1940-06-23)June 23, 1940
Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedNovember 12, 1994(1994-11-12) (aged 54)
Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1]
Weight130 lb (59 kg)[1]
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
ClubTSU Tigerbelles, Nashville
Retired1962
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals1956 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 100 m
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1956 Melbourne 4×100 m relay

Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American sprinter who overcame childhood polio and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Rudolph competed in the 200-meter dash and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, Australia. She also won three gold medals, in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 x 100-meter relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.[3] Rudolph was acclaimed the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games.[4][5][6]

Due to the worldwide television coverage of the 1960 Summer Olympics, Rudolph became an international star along with other Olympic athletes such as Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), Oscar Robertson, and Rafer Johnson who competed in Italy.

As an Olympic champion in the early 1960s, Rudolph was among the most highly visible black women in America and abroad. She became a role model for black and female athletes and her Olympic successes helped elevate women's track and field in the United States. Rudolph is also regarded as a civil rights and women's rights pioneer. In 1962 Rudolph retired from competition at the peak of her athletic career as the world record-holder in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 × 100-meter relays. After competing in the 1960 Summer Olympics, the 1963 graduate of Tennessee State University became an educator and coach. Rudolph died of brain and throat cancer in 1994, and her achievements are memorialized in a variety of tributes, including a U.S. postage stamp, documentary films, and a made-for-television movie, as well as in numerous publications, especially books for young readers.

  1. ^ a b c "Wilma Rudolph". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  2. ^ "Wilma Rudolph Biography". Biography.com. A&E Television Networks. June 19, 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Women on the Scene Cleveland, Ohio." Milwaukee Star, vol. VIII, no. 80, 12 Apr. 1969, p. Page 12.
  4. ^ "Ethelda Bleibtrey, the trailblazer for women's swimming who was arrested due to her swimsuit". Olympics.com. June 27, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Helene Madison". usopm.org. 21 July 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Liberti, Rita (2015). (Re) Presenting Wilma Rudolph. Syracuse University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780815633846.

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