After overcoming polio and scarlet fever in childhood, she became an unbeaten sprinter despite her doctor’s prediction that she would never walk again. As one of 22 children, she was constantly surrounded by support and care, which she needed given her poor health. She was just 16 when she qualified for the Olympic team in the 200 meters. At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay but failed to qualify in the 200. A year later, she entered Tennessee State University, where she was coached by Hall of Famer Ed Temple. She soon became the world's best sprinter, setting world records in the 100, 200 and 4x100m relay. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals (in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relays), earning the title of the “fastest women in the world.”Winner of seven National AAU sprint titles, she received the 1961 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete as well as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award in 1961. She retired at the age of 22 after winning the 100 meters and anchoring the winning U.S. 4x100m relay team in the USA-USSR dual meet at Stanford University. Rudolph later became active in youth work, heading the Wilma Rudolph Foundation. She also became a motivational speaker and, in 1987, became head track coach at DePauw University. She was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1990, Rudolph became the first woman to receive the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Silver Anniversary Award. The indoor track and dormitory at Tennessee State University are named in honor of Rudolph. Rudolph died of a brain tumor on November 12, 1994.
100 m - 11.20 200 m - 22.90
World Record: 100 m - 11.20 (July 19, 1961) World Record: 200 m - 22.90 (July 9, 1960)
1956 Olympics: 400 m relay (3rd) 1960 Olympics: 100 m (1st) 1960 Olympics: 200 m (1st) 1960 Olympics: 400 m relay (1st)