Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American athlete and an Olympic champion. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960.
In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games.
As a member of the black community, she is also regarded as a civil rights and women’s rights pioneer.
Wilma Rudolph was born premature and Sickly, the 20th of 22 children to parents Ed and Blanche Rudolph. Wilma Rudolph was a sickly child who had to wear a brace on her left leg. She overcame her disabilities through determination, physical therapy and hard work, and went on to become a gifted runner.
Rudolph shared her remarkable story with the world in 1977 with her autobiography, Wilma.
Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.
Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.
My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.
Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.
I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I’m competing with is me.
No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you.
I believe in me more than anything in this world.
When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult.
