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Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American athlete, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games, despite running on a sprained ankle at the time. A track and field champion, she elevated women's track to a major presence in the United States.

The powerful sprinter emerged from the 1960 Rome Olympics as "The Tornado," the fastest woman on earth. The Italians nicknamed her "La Gazzella Nera" (the Black Gazelle); to the French she was "La Perle Noire" (The Black Pearl).

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Career and family

In 1963, Rudolph was granted a full scholarship to Tennessee State University where she ultimately received her bachelor's degree in elementary education. After her athletic career, Rudolph worked as a teacher at Cobb Elementary School, coaching track at Burt High School, and became a sports commentator on national television.

Wilma married her high school sweetheart Robert Eldridge in 1963, and had four children: Yolanda (b. 1958), Djuanna (b. 1964), Robert Jr. (b. 1965) and Xurry (b. 1971). Wilma and Eldridge later divorced.

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Legacy

In 1994, Wilma Rudolph Boulevard was the name given to the portion of U.S. Route 79 in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The Woman's Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award is presented to a female athlete who exhibits extraordinary courage in her athletic performance, demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity, makes significant contributions to sports and serves as an inspiration and role model to those who face challenges, overcomes them and strives for success at all levels. This award was first given in 1996 to Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

A life-size statue of Rudolph, hand-crafted from bronze, stands at the southern end of the Cumberland River Walk at the base of the Pedestrian Overpass, College Street and Riverside Drive, in Clarksville.

In 2000 Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Rudolph as number one in its listing of the top fifty greatest sports figures in twentieth-century Tennessee.

In 2004, the United States Postal Service issued a 23 cent postage stamp in recognition of her accomplishments.

Resources

• Biracee, Tom. Wilma Rudolph, Holloway House Publishing Company; (June 1990) - ISBN 0870675656
• Braun, Eric. Wilma Rudolph, Capstone Press, (2005) - ISBN 0736842349
• Coffey, Wayne R. Wilma Rudolph, Blackbirch Press, (1993) - ISBN 1567110045
• Conrad, David. Stick to It!: The Story of Wilma Rudolph, Compass Point Books (August 2002) - ISBN 0756503841
• Harper, Jo. Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runner (Childhood of Famous Americans), Aladdin (January 6, 2004) - ISBN 0606297391
• Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, Harcourt *Children's Books; Library Binding edition (April 1, 1996) - ISBN 0152012672
• Maraniss, David. Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed The World, Simon & Schuster, (2008) - ISBN 1416534083
• Ruth, Amy. Wilma Rudolph, Lerner Publications (February 2000) - ISBN 082254976X
• Schraff, Anne E. Wilma Rudolph: The Greatest Woman Sprinter in History, Enslow Publishers, (2004) - ISBN 0766022919
• Sherrow, Victoria. Wilma Rudolph (On My Own Biographies), Carolrhoda Books (April 2000) - ISBN 1575052466
• Smith, Maureen Margaret. Wilma Rudolph: A Biography, Greenwood Press, (2006) - ISBN 0313333076
• Streissguth, Tom. Wilma Rudolph, Turnaround Publisher, (2007) - ISBN 0822566931

References

1. Rome, 1960, Games of the XVII Olympiad Photo Gallery of Wilma Rudolph
2. Biracree, Tom. Wilma Rudolph: Champion Athlete, Chelsea House Publishers, New York, (1988)
3. Biracree, Tom. p. 82
4. Time Magazine, The Fastest Female, Monday, September 19, 1960
5. Wilma Rudolph Courage Award
6. Wilma Rudolph Statue
7. Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) and the TSU Tigerbelles

External links

• Biography from "Women in History"
• Whitehouse Kids, Wilma Rudolph
• Sports Heros, Wilma Rudolph
• Wilma Rudolph Joins DePauw Staff
• Wilma Rudolph's story on the website of the 2008 Summer Olympics

• 1940 births
• 1994 deaths
• African American track and field athletes
• American sprinters
• Tennessee State University alumni
• Athletes at the 1956 Summer Olympics
• Athletes at the 1960 Summer Olympics
• Burials in Tennessee
• Deaths from brain cancer
• James E. Sullivan Award recipients
• Olympic bronze medalists for the United States
• Olympic track and field athletes of the United States
• Olympic gold medalists for the United States
• People from Tennessee
• Former world record holders in athletics
• Cancer deaths in Tennessee
• Deaths from throat cancer