Wilma Rudolph “Hurdles”

“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.” – Wilma Rudolph

This quote was spoken from a woman who lived these words. From the moment she graced this planet prematurely, Wilma Rudolph had to overcome a lot of odds in order to not only speak these words, but also become who she became.

​Wilma Rudolph, an African American, was born prematurely on June 23, 1940 weighing in at 4.5 lbs. in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. She was the fifth child of nineteen children; eleven from her father’s first marriage and eight from her mother, her father’s second marriage. Wilma lived a normal child hood up until the age of four years old, when she contracted polio, a disease that attacks the nervous system. Although surviving the illness, the disease still took the use of Wilma’s left leg. Due to this ailment, the Rudolph family decided to pick up and move to Nashville, Tennessee, where Mrs. Rudolph found out that she could be treated at Meharry Hospital; the black medical college of Fisk University in Nashville. Even though it was 50 miles away, Wilma’s mother took her there twice a week for two years, where they consulted a specialist. The specialist recommended massage therapy, and began to teach Mrs. Rudolph the technique. Once Mrs. Rudolph learned the technique, she continued on and also taught her other children. So they all chipped in and Wilma’s left leg was massaged daily. At the age of twelve, Wilma went against all odds and walked again on her own and here is where her life began.

​After several years of home schooling, Wilma finally attended Burt High School. Wanting to follow in her sisters’ footsteps, she opted to join the Burt High School female basketball team; however, the coach Clinton Gray would not allow her to play in a game for two years of her high school career. By her sophomore year not only did he allow her to play starting guard, Wilma set state records, leading her team to a state championship. During the state tournament, Wilma caught the attention of Ed Temple. Ed Temple was the head coach of the women’s track team, “The Tigerbells”, at Tennessee State University, and saw the potential in Wilma. Burt High School didn’t have the budget for a track team so Ed decided to allow Wilma to train with the track team during her summer breaks from school.

​Wilma continued running track and in 1956, at the age of sixteen she qualified for the summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Here she won a bronze medal in the 4×4 relay race. The following year, in 1957, Wilma was accepted to Tennessee University on a full scholarship. While majoring in elementary education and still running, the pressure of sustaining both eventually affected her and she fell ill. Unable to run in 1958, she rebounded in 1959 only to pull a muscle at a crucial meet between the USA and what was then, the Soviet Union. Fortunately for Wilma, Ed Temple would prove a good friend and would nurse her back to health, and by 1960 Wilma was ready to run in the Rome Olympics.The 1960 Olympics is where Wilma Rudolph showed the world her talents and all of her hard work had paid off. She was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960’s. On September 7th, 1960 in Rome, Italy at the Olympics, Wilma became the first American woman and African-American woman, to win all three gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter dash; she finished approximately three yards ahead of her closest competitor. She set the world record in the 100 meter dash and set a new Olympic record in the 200 meter dash.

Wilma’s swift legs earned her the nick name “La Gazzella Nera” (The Black Gazelle) from the Italians and “La Perle Noire” (The Black Pearl) from the French.

Without question, Wilma set the standard at the 1960 Olympics. Her celebrity broke down barriers in the world of athleticism, and put women and African Americans on the map. ​With her instant celebrity, Wilma did not allow it to get to her. Not wanting to fade out, Wilma retired from amateur athletics in 1963 and within that same year she also completed her BA degree in education, and got married. She earned a lot of honors as well. In 1963, she was selected to represent the U. S. State Department as a Goodwill Ambassador at the Games of Friendship in Dakar, Senegal. Later that year she was invited by Dr. Billy Graham to join the Baptist Christian Athletes in Japan.

​With all the continued success, Wilma still remained humble. Becoming a mother of four, she returned to Clarksville, Tennessee to live. There, she taught at her old school, Cobb Elementary, and became the track coach at Burt High School; replacing her old coach Clinton Gray, who was killed in an auto accident.

Throughout the years, Wilma would continue to participate in the fight against segregation and travel all over the country to multiple universities as a guest speaker. Her first triumph over segregation was in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she insisted that her homecoming parade be open to everyone and not a segregated event; as was the usual custom. Her victory parade was the first racially integrated event ever held in the town. The townspeople held a banquet in her honor; this was the first time in Clarksville’s history that blacks and whites had ever gathered together for the same event. She went on to participate in protests throughout the city until the segregation laws were struck down. In 1967 Vice-President Hubert Humphrey invited Wilma to participate in “Operation Champ,” an athletic outreach program for underprivileged youth in the ghettoes of 16 major cities. She started her own non-profit organization, The Wilma Rudolph Foundation, to continue this kind of work. The foundation provided free coaching in a variety of sports, academic assistance and support as well.

In November of 1994, Wilma died from breast cancer, leaving behind a legacy of triumph and change. Wilma Rudolph’s story shows that track hurdles were not the only hurdles she had to jump. Her legacy will live on for generations to come.