This Day in Black History: June 23, 1940

Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph is born.

By Naeesa Aziz
Posted: 06/23/2012 07:00 AM EDT
Filed Under Olympic Games, Olympics, Sports News, track and field, Wilma Rudolph, This Day in Black History

Wilma Rudolph, Olympic gold medalist

Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born on June 24, 1940, in Clarksville, Tennessee.

 

After a childhood marked with physical illnesses, one of which left her unable to walk until age 9, Rudolph went on to be known as “the fastest woman in the world” after her stellar performance at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. She earned three gold medals at the 1960 games and was the first woman in history to accomplish such a feat.

 

Rudolph’s triumph at the games catapulted her into international superstardom, as the 1960 games were the first to be televised. In 1963 she was selected to represent the U. S. State Department as a Goodwill Ambassador at the Games of Friendship in Dakar, Senegal, and was later inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.


She died on November 12, 1994, at the age of 54.

 

 

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(Photo: MCT/Landov)

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