Rudolph, Wilma Glodean

▪ 1995

      U.S. runner (b. June 23, 1940, Clarksville, Tenn.—d. Nov. 12, 1994, Brentwood, Tenn.), was a phenomenal sprinter who overcame crippling childhood illnesses to become the first American woman to capture three track-and-field gold medals at a single Olympics. In the 1960 Olympics in Rome she won the 100-m dash (tying the world record of 11.3 sec in a semifinal race) and the 200-m dash, and she anchored the triumphant U.S. 4 × 100-m relay team (which set a world record of 44.4 sec in a semifinal race). Rudolph, a sickly child who conquered scarlet fever, double pneumonia, and the temporary paralysis of her left leg, wore a leg brace and then an orthopedic shoe until she discarded the shoe to play basketball, her first love. In high school, her basketball coach dubbed the lanky, 1.85-m (6-ft) scoring machine (she had 803 points in 25 games as a junior) "Skeeter" because, he said, "You're little, you're fast and you always get in my way." She attended Tennessee State University from 1957 to 1961. In 1956, weighing less than 46 kg (100 lb), she won a bronze medal in the 4 ×100-m relay at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. For the 1960 Olympics she bulked up to 59 kg (130 lb). After retiring as a runner, Rudolph established a foundation for underprivileged children; served as a goodwill ambassador to French West Africa; coached briefly at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.; and held various corporate business positions. In 1977 her inspirational autobiography, Wilma, was published and made into a television movie. Rudolph, who was Amateur Athletic Union 100-yd dash champion from 1959 to 1962, was inducted into the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974.

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