ࡱ > [ ] Z Y t bjbjWW & = = t ] j " " " " " $ B 6 f " " " " " " <ՏK Helen Chen ( Wilma Glodean Rudolph Wilma Glodean Rudolph had an amazing life that showcases her strength, talent, and determination as an athlete. At the 1960 Rome Olympics she was given the title, Worlds Fastest Woman. She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. She won the 100- and 200-meter races and was the anchor for the 4 x 100-meter relay, breaking the record by running it in 44.5 seconds. Also, when Rudolph was 16 and just a sophomore at Burt High School, she raced at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 on the U.S. 4 x 100-meter relay team, earning a bronze medal. Although her accomplishments in the Olympics are remarkable, the story of how she got there is truly astounding. She was prematurely born on June 23, 1940 in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. Out of 22 children, she was the 20th in her family. She had infantile paralysis (which is caused by the polio virus) which she recovered from but left her left leg twisted. This twisted leg required her to use a leg brace as she walked. Her family took her twice a week to a Nashville hospital for physical therapy. Despite suffering from illnesses like whooping cough, scarlet fever, pneumonia (twice), measles, and the chicken pox, Rudolph still held in her heart the determination to be a normal kid. After much therapy, she was able to walk without her braces. She attended middle school and followed her sisters footsteps by joining the basketball team. In her sophomore year in high school, she was spotted by Ed Temple, the Tennessee State track coach and he welcomed her to join his team. After gaining fame as the fastest woman in the world, Rudolph finished studying at Tennessee State, earning a bachelors degree in elementary education. After her athletic career, she taught at Cobb Elementary School and coached track at Burt High School. In 1963, she married her high school sweetheart Robert Eldridge and had four children: Yolanda (1958), Djuanna (1963), Robert Jr. (1965), and Xurry (1971). Rudolph inspired many people. She also founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, a non-profit, community-based amateur sports program. She continued to serve the country as a U.S. goodwill ambassador to French West Africa. She was voted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in 1973 and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974. Rudolph died of brain cancer at age 54 on November 12, 1994 in Nashville. $ % = ? r s t j CJ OJ PJ QJ UCJ H*OJ PJ QJ CJ j JCJ CJ OJ PJ QJ $ % c < ' q r t $ $ t $ 1hP / =!"#$% b D d & : B S A @ ? R ?b bݛX/M<ת b D &Fb bݛX/M<ת JFIF d d Ducky B l a c k t r a c k s t a r W i l m a R u d o l p h , 2 0 , l u n g i n g a c r o s s t h e f i n i s h l i n e a s s h e w i n s 1 0 0 - m e t e r d a s h i n 1 1 s e c o n d s , t o w i n o n e o f h e r 3 g o l d m e d a l s a t t h e 1 9 6 0 S u m m e r O l y m p i c s . ( P h o t o b y M a r k K a u f f m a n / / T i m e L i f e P i c t u r e s / G e t t y I m a g e s ) Adobe d #%'%#//33//@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@&&0##0+.'''.+550055@@?@@@@@@@@@@@@ &" !1AQaq"2BRb#3rCS$D%4 ? >莓Fp'18|W%h.Fƌ~Mn=Jf+.ߺYܑn%mq@@-@DNDd&~216 ]