Facts about wilma rudolph

Wilma Rudolph | National Women's History Museum

Wilma Rudolph

1940-1994

By Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Fellow | 2017

Despite being told as a child she would never walk again, Wilma Rudolph relentlessly pursued her dreams becoming an international track and field star. At the height of her career, “the fastest woman in the world” used her platform to shed light on social issues.

Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940 in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. As one of 22 children, she was constantly surrounded by support and care, which she needed given her poor health. Rudolph survived bouts of polio and scarlet fever. Her illness forced her to wear a brace on her leg. Rudolph’s diagnosis was very bleak, “my doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.” Together, Rudolph’s parents and siblings took turns taking care of her. They would often remove her leg brace and massage her injured leg. At the age of six, Rudolph began to hop on one leg. By eight she could move around with a leg brace. At the age of 11, Rudolph’s mother discovered her playing basketball outside. She quickly turned to sports, becoming a natural athlete. She was nominated as All-American in basketball during high school. However, after a chance meeting with a college coach she turned to track and field.

While still in high school Rudolph competed on the collegiate level. She competed in the 1956 Olympic games and won a bronze medal in 4x100 relay. Four years later, Rudolph headed to the 1960 summer Olympics determined to get gold. Her performance in Rome cemented her as one of the greatest athletes of the 20^th century. She won three gold medals and broke at least three world records. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at the same Olympic game. Her performance also earned her the title of “the fastest woman in the world. ”

Returning home an Olympic champion Rudolph refused to attend her homecoming parade if it was not integrated. She won the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award in 1961. The following year, Rudolph retired from track and field. She went on to finish her degree at Tennessee State University and began working in education. She continued her involvement in sports, working at several community centers throughout the United States. She was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame and started an organization to help amateur track and field stars. 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. In 1977, her life was the subject of a prime-time television movie. Rudolph died of a brain tumor on November 12, 1994.

Works Cited

Schraff, Anne E. Wilma Rudolph: The Greatest Woman Sprinter in History. New York: Enslow Publishers, 2004.
Sherrow, Victoria. Wilma Rudolph (On My Own Biographies). New York:Carolrhoda Books, 2000.
Smith, Maureen M. Wilma Rudolph: A Biography. New York: Greenwood Press, 2006.

“Wilma Rudolph, Star of the 1960 Olympics, Dies at 54” The New York Times. Accessed 21 March 2017.
“Rudolph ran and world went wild” ESPN Sportscentury Figures. Accessed 31 March 2017.
PHOTO: Library of Congress

How to Cite this page

MLA – Norwood, Arlisha. "Wilma Rudolph." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2017. Date accessed.

Chicago- Norwood, Arlisha. "Wilma Rudolph." National Women's History Museum. 2017. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/wilma-rudolph.

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Wilma Rudolph Facts | Mental Floss

Wilma Rudolph made history as a Black female athlete at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. The 20-year-old Tennessee State University sprinter was the first American woman to win three gold medals at one Olympics. Rudolph’s heroics in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4 x 100-meter events only lasted seconds, but her legend persists decades later, despite her untimely 1994 death from cancer at age 54. Here are some facts about this U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member.

1. Wilma Rudolph faced poverty and polio as a child.

When Rudolph was born prematurely on June 23, 1940, in Clarksville, Tennessee, she weighed just 4. 5 pounds. Olympic dreams seemed impossible for Rudolph, whose impoverished family included 21 other siblings. Among other maladies, she had measles, mumps, and pneumonia by age 4. Most devastatingly, polio twisted her left leg, and she wore leg braces until she was 9.

2. Wilma Rudolph originally wanted to play basketball.

The Tennessee Tigerbelles. From left to right: Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Wilma Rudolph, and Barbara Jones. / Central Press/Getty Images

At Clarksville’s Burt High School, Rudolph flourished on the basketball court. Nearly 6 feet tall, she studied the game, and ran track to keep in shape. However, while competing in the state basketball championship in Nashville, the 14-year-old speedster met a referee named Ed Temple, who doubled as the acclaimed coach of the Tennessee State Tigerbelles track team. Temple, who would coach at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics, recruited Rudolph.

3.

Wilma Rudolph made her Olympic debut as a teenager.

Rudolph hit the limelight at 16, earning a bronze medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. But that didn’t compare to the media hype when she won three gold medals in 1960. French journalists called her “The Black Pearl,” the Italian press hailed “The Black Gazelle,” and in America, Rudolph was “The Tornado.”

4. After her gold medals, Wilma Rudolph insisted on a racially integrated homecoming.

Tennessee governor Buford Ellington, who supported racial segregation, intended to oversee the Clarksville celebrations when Rudolph returned from Rome. However, she refused to attend her parade or victory banquet unless both were open to Black and white people. Rudolph got her wish, resulting in the first integrated events in the city’s history.

5. Muhammad Ali had a crush on Wilma Rudolph.

Ali—known as Cassius Clay when he won the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight boxing title—befriended Rudolph in Rome. That fall, the 18-year-old boxer invited Rudolph to his native Louisville, Kentucky. He drove her around in a pink Cadillac convertible.

6. John F. Kennedy literally fell over when he invited Wilma Rudolph to the White House.

President Kennedy, Wilma Rudolph, Rudolph’s mother Blanche Rudolph, and Vice President Johnson in the Oval Office. / Abbie Rowe/White House Photographs/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum // Public Domain

In 1961, Rudolph met JFK in the Oval Office. After getting some photos taken together, the President attempted to sit down in his rocking chair and tumbled to the floor. Kennedy quipped: “It’s not every day that I get to meet an Olympic champion.” They chatted for about 30 minutes.

7. Wilma Rudolph held three world records when she retired.

Rudolph chose to go out on top and retired in 1962 at just 22 years old. Her 100-meter (11.2 seconds), 200-meter (22.9 seconds), and 4 x 100-meter relay (44.3 seconds) world records all lasted several years.

8. Wilma Rudolph visited West African countries as a goodwill ambassador.

The U.S. State Department sent Rudolph to the 1963 Friendship Games in Dakar, Senegal. According to Penn State professor Amira Rose Davis, while there, Rudolph independently met with future Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah’s Young Pioneers, a nationalist youth movement. She visited Mali, Guinea, and the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) as well.

9. Denzel Washington made his TV debut in a movie about Wilma Rudolph.

Before his Oscar-winning performances in Glory (1989) and Training Day (2001), a 22-year-old Denzel Washington portrayed Robert Eldridge, Rudolph’s second husband, in Wilma (1977). The film also starred Cicely Tyson as Rudolph’s mother Blanche.

10. Schools, stamps, and statues commemorate Wilma Rudolph’s legacy.

Berlin, Germany, has a high school named after Rudolph. The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp celebrating her in 2004. Clarksville features a bronze statue by the Cumberland River, the 1000-capacity Wilma Rudolph Event Center, and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. In Tennessee, June 23 is Wilma Rudolph Day.

Poor childhood and secure old age. 9 facts about Rudolf Nureyev | Person | culture

Rudolf Nureyev. / Valery Shustov / RIA Novosti

On December 9 and 10, the premiere of the ballet Nureyev will take place at the Bolshoi Theater. The production was supposed to see the light in the summer: July 11th. However, the leadership of the Bolshoi Theater urgently canceled it, explaining their actions by the fact that the performance was not yet ready, which means that it could not be presented to a wide audience. For one of the main premieres of the outgoing year, AiF.ru collected interesting facts from the life of Rudolf Nureyev.

1. Rudolf Nureyev was born on a train. By the time his father, who served in Manchuria, was able to call his wife and children, Farida Nureeva was in the last weeks of pregnancy. The woman could not withstand 12 long days of the road, so little Rudik was born under the sound of wheels on March 17, 1938.

2. By the end of his life, the dancer was a very wealthy person, he even owned an island in the Mediterranean. However, the extravagance inherent in some rich people was completely alien to him. Rudolph counted every penny, because he knew too well what hunger and poverty were. Four children grew up in the Nureyev family. There was a catastrophic lack of money: not only did Rudik constantly wear out the things of his sisters, one day, when the boy had to go to school, he did not have shoes, so the mother had to carry her son to class on her back. nine0005

3. The desire to connect his life with ballet arose in Nureyev at the age of 5, when his mother first brought him to the performance. However, the father was not happy with this prospect. He was categorically against it and whenever he caught his son dancing, he immediately took out his belt and gave him a spanking. But Rudolf resisted as best he could and, despite the threats of his parent, began to go to a folk dance circle. At the age of 11, a talented boy was noticed by a former member of the Diaghilev troupe Anna Udaltsova , who became his teacher. A little later, he studied with Elena Vaitovich. It was these two women who convinced their student to enter the Leningrad Choreographic School. Rudolf earned money for a ticket to the Northern capital by dancing lessons.

4. In 1955, Nureyev was admitted to the school, but due to his impulsive and harsh nature, he more than once found himself on the verge of expulsion. For the first time this happened just a week after the start of classes. The novice dancer did not find a common language with the teacher and director of the educational institution Shelkov and asked to replace the teacher! Oddly enough, they made concessions to him, and thanks to this, Rudolph ended up in the class of Alexander Pushkin, with whom he had a wonderful relationship. nine0005

5 . In 1958, Nureyev graduated and was enrolled in the S. M. Kirov Theater (currently the Mariinsky Theater - ed.). The management was afraid to take the talented, but too wayward Rudolph on foreign tours. The troupe's trip to Paris in 1961, like many others, had to go without him. However, at the very last moment, the host party insisted that Nureyev come to France. Then no one knew that the star of the Soviet ballet would not want to return to his homeland. nine0005

Due to too free behavior and the artist's unwillingness to obey the strict requirements of the KGB officers who accompanied the Soviet troupe every second, it was decided to return Rudolf to the USSR before the end of the tour. But the plan failed: once at the Le Bourget airport, Nureyev turned to the policemen whom he met on his way: “I want to stay in your country.” These words predetermined his entire future life.

See also: Unloved. The life story of the ballerina Margot Fonteyn

6. One of the brightest partners who danced with Nureyev was the prima ballerina of the London Royal Ballet Margot Fontaine. Their joint creative life began in 1962 in the ballet "Giselle" and continued for many years. It is believed that Margo and Rudolph were connected not only by working and friendly relations, but also by love. Although there is no reliable evidence of this, in addition, the artist was known for his unconventional orientation, and Fontaine was married.

7. Nureyev lived for 25 years with the Danish dancer Eric Brun until the latter's death. This relationship was not a secret to anyone, but the artist was very annoyed when journalists tried to get into his personal life, so he tried to keep communication with the press to a minimum.

8. In 1989, Nureyev returned to his homeland for the first time. And, although he twice performed on the stage of the Kirov Theater, few of those spectators understood that in front of them was a legendary person. The fact is that, after the dancer's escape abroad, the country preferred to quickly forget about him and his act inappropriate for a Soviet person. nine0005

9. In 1983, Rudolf was diagnosed with HIV. This disease was the main cause of his rather early death. The dancer died at the age of 55 and was buried in the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois near Paris. The decoration of the grave of the artist was carried out by the leading artist of the Paris Opera Enzo Frigerio. Knowing his late friend's passion for collecting antique carpets, he created one of them on his grave from a mosaic.

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Wilma Rudolf facts - Article

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Wilma Rudolf made history as a black athlete at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. The 20-year-old Tennessee State University sprinter was the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics. Rudolf's heroism in the 100, 200 and 4 x 100 meters only lasted a few seconds, but her legend lives on decades later despite her untimely death from cancer in 1994 at the age of 54. Here are some facts about this US Olympic Hall. member of Glory. nine0005

1. Wilma Rudolf faced poverty and polio as a child.

When Rudolph was born prematurely on June 23, 1940, in Clarksville, Tennessee, she weighed only 4.5 pounds. Olympic dreams seemed impossible for Rudolph, who had 21 brothers and sisters in a poor family. Among other illnesses, she contracted measles, mumps, and pneumonia by the age of 4. Most horrifyingly, polio took out her left leg and she wore leg braces until she was 9 years old.

2. Wilma Rudolf originally wanted to play basketball. nine0102

Tennessee Tigerbelles. From left to right: Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Wilma Rudolph and Barbara Jones. Central Press / Getty Images

The most expensive beer in the world

At Bert High School in Clarksville, Rudolph thrived on the basketball court. Nearly six feet tall, she studied the game and ran to keep fit. However, while competing in the state basketball championship in Nashville, the 14-year-old speedster met a referee named Ed Temple, who was also the established coach of the Tennessee Tigerbelles track and field team. Temple, who was the coach at the 19 Olympics60 and 1964, hired Rudolf.

3. Wilma Rudolf made her Olympic debut as a teenager.

Rudolph came into the spotlight at 16 when he won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. But that doesn't compare to the media hype when she won three gold medals in 1960. The French journalists called her the "Black Pearl", the Italian press the "Black Gazelle", and in America Rudolf was the "Tornado". nine0005

4. After winning the gold medals, Wilma Rudolf insisted on a racially integrated return to her homeland.

Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington, who supported racial segregation, intended to oversee the Clarksville celebration when Rudolph returned from Rome. However, she refused to attend a parade or victory banquet unless both were open to blacks and whites. Rudolph granted her wish, leading to the first integrated events in the city's history. nine0005

5. Muhammad Ali was in love with Wilma Rudolf.

Ali, known as Cassius Clay when he won the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight boxing title, befriended Rudolf in Rome. That fall, the 18-year-old boxer invited Rudolph to his native Louisville, Kentucky. He drove her in a pink Cadillac convertible.

6. John F. Kennedy literally collapsed when he invited Wilma Rudolph to the White House.

President Kennedy, Wilma Rudolph, Rudolph's mother Blanche Rudolph, and Vice President Johnson in the Oval Office. Abby Rowe/White House Photographs/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum // Public Domain

In 1961, Rudolf met John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office. After taking several pictures, the President tried to sit in a rocking chair and fell to the floor. Kennedy joked, "It's not every day that I meet an Olympic champion." They chatted for about 30 minutes.

7. In retirement, Wilma Rudolf set three world records.

Rudolf decided to come out on top and retired in 1962 when he was only 22 years old. Her world records in the 100 meters (11.2 seconds), 200 meters (22.9seconds) and the 4 x 100 meters relay (44.3 seconds) lasted several years.

8. Wilma Rudolf visited the countries of West Africa as a Goodwill Ambassador.

The US Department of State sent Rudolph to the 1963 Friendship Games in Dakar, Senegal. According to University of Pennsylvania professor Amira Rose Davis, during his stay there, Rudolph independently met with the nationalist youth movement "Young Pioneers" of the future President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. She also visited Mali, Guinea and the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). nine0005

when marriage with children began

Facts about wilma rudolph

Wilma Rudolph | National Women's History Museum

Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph Facts | Mental Floss

1. Wilma Rudolph faced poverty and polio as a child.

2. Wilma Rudolph originally wanted to play basketball.

3.

4. After her gold medals, Wilma Rudolph insisted on a racially integrated homecoming.

5. Muhammad Ali had a crush on Wilma Rudolph.

6. John F. Kennedy literally fell over when he invited Wilma Rudolph to the White House.

7. Wilma Rudolph held three world records when she retired.

8. Wilma Rudolph visited West African countries as a goodwill ambassador.

9. Denzel Washington made his TV debut in a movie about Wilma Rudolph.

10. Schools, stamps, and statues commemorate Wilma Rudolph’s legacy.

Poor childhood and secure old age. 9 facts about Rudolf Nureyev | Person | culture

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Wilma Rudolf facts - Article

1. Wilma Rudolf faced poverty and polio as a child.

2. Wilma Rudolf originally wanted to play basketball. nine0102

3. Wilma Rudolf made her Olympic debut as a teenager.

4. After winning the gold medals, Wilma Rudolf insisted on a racially integrated return to her homeland.

5. Muhammad Ali was in love with Wilma Rudolf.

6. John F. Kennedy literally collapsed when he invited Wilma Rudolph to the White House.

7. In retirement, Wilma Rudolf set three world records.

8. Wilma Rudolf visited the countries of West Africa as a Goodwill Ambassador.

9. Denzel Washington made his television debut in a film about Wilma Rudolph.

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