Wilma rudolph fun facts
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.
Wilma Rudolph Facts
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Wilma Rudolph Facts
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| Tennessee State's track and field coach Ed Temple spotted Wilma while playing basketball for her high school team. He asked her to join the summer training program and she did. She continued to train with Temple's guidance through the rest of her time in high school. |
| At the age of 16 Wilma qualified for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. She was the U.S. team's youngest member, and won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 meter relay, along with Margaret Matthews, Mae Faggs, and Isabelle Daniels. |
| Wilma Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State in 1958, enabling her to continue having Temple as her coach. |
| Wilma competed at the 1959 Pan American Games and won a silver medal in the 100 meter individual event. She also won gold at the 4 x 100 meter relay. |
In 1959 Wilma Rudolph won the 100 meter title at the AAU and was able to maintain her title for four years. She also won three indoor AAU titles throughout her athletic career.
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| Wilma competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. She won three gold medals: the 4 x 100 meter relay, 100 meter sprint, and 200 meter sprint. |
| Wilma Rudolph was the first African American female athlete to win three Olympic gold medals in one Olympiad. |
| Because of her Olympic record of 23.2 seconds in the opening heat of the 200 meter, Wilma was considered to be 'The Tornado - the fastest woman on earth'. |
| Wilma Rudolph was applauded for her athletic abilities and accomplishments and also for her poise and beauty in the media. |
| When Wilma returned to Clarksville after the 1960s Olympics they held a day of festivities in her honor, including a parade and banquet. She insisted it was to be fully integrated and 1,100 people attended the banquet. |
A documentary was made in 1961titled 'Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Champion'.
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| After retiring from track competition Wilma focused on teaching and coaching. |
| Wilma's autobiography was published in 1977 titled 'Wilma: The Story of Wilma Rudolph'. More than 21 books about Wilma have now been published. |
| Wilma married and divorced twice. She had four children. |
| Wilma worked as a TV sports commentator for the 1984 Summer Olympics. |
| Wilma was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1994. She also had throat cancer. She died on November 12, 1994. She was 54. |
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Wilma Rudolph 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 lasted only a few seconds, but her legend lives on decades later despite her untimely death from cancer at 1994 at the age of 54. Here are some facts about this US Olympic Hall. member of Glory.
1. Wilma Rudolph 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. The most terrible thing is that polio took out her left leg, and up to 9she wore leg braces for years.
2. Wilma Rudolf originally wanted to play basketball.
Tennessee Tigerbelles. From left to right: Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams, Wilma Rudolph and Barbara Jones.
Central Press / Getty Images
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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.
Rudolf 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".
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.
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 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. 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.
Rudolph 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 State Department sent Rudolf 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).
when marriage with children began
9. Denzel Washington made his television debut in a film about Wilma Rudolph.
Before his Oscar-winning performances in Glory (1989) and Training Day (2001), 22-year-old Denzel Washington portrayed Robert Eldridge, Rudolph's second husband, in Wilma (1977). The film also starred Cicely Tyson as Rudolf Blanche's mother.
10. Schools, stamps and statues commemorate the legacy of Wilma Rudolf.
There is a secondary school named after Rudolf in Berlin, Germany. The United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp honoring her in 2004. Clarksville has a bronze statue on the banks of the Cumberland River, the 1,000-seat Wilma Rudolph Exposition Center, and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. In Tennessee, June 23 is Wilma Rudolph Day.
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Wilma Rudolf
| Full name: | Wilma Rudolf |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | June 23, 1940 |
| Date of death: | November 12, 1994 |
| Total years: | 54 years old |
| Business line: | CHAMPIONS |
Biography:
Wilma Glodean Rudolph, future world and Olympic champion, "Black Gazelle", "Tornado", "Black Pearl" (as fans in different countries called her), was born on June 23, 1940 in St.
Bentleham (Tennessee, USA) , in a large family. Her parents had at least 18 children (data in different sources vary). Naturally, there could be no question of any increased attention to the fate of the girl. Wilma was ill with all possible childhood diseases: scarlet fever, chicken pox, whooping cough and even polio, because of which she could not walk normally for a long time. However, the future champion defeated all diseases and, moreover, began to make progress in sports. Already at the age of 16, Wilma Rudolph got into the US track and field athletics team and at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne won bronze in the relay race with her teammates. Four years later, at the XVII Summer Games in Rome, at a distance of 100 meters, the athlete repeated the world record and became the first in the race. She also led the 200m track, where she set a new Olympic record.
This was the first "gold" for American athletes in the 200 meters. Wilma Rudolph received another medal of the highest standard for the relay.
Interestingly, her teammates were exclusively compatriots - athletes from Tennessee: Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams and Barbara Jones. Thanks to these and many other, slightly less significant, victories in 1960 and 1961, Wilma Rudolph was recognized as the best athlete in the world. Two decades later, her name was entered into the US Olympic Hall of Fame. However, very soon after the triumphant Olympics, the Black Gazelle decided to end her career as a runner - at 1962, at the age of 22, she left athletics and soon entered Tennessee State University, from which she graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. For some time, Wilma worked as a teacher, and then as a sports commentator. Back in 1963, she married a childhood friend, Robert Eldridge, four children were born in this marriage, but later the couple divorced. In the summer of 1994, Wilma experienced a shock - the athlete’s mother died, and some time later she herself was diagnosed with a brain tumor. November 12, 1994 years old Wilma Rudolph died at her home in Brentwood (Tennessee, USA), at the age of only 54 years.
