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Wilma Rudolph

The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every four years which comprises of summer and winter games. Though the first ancient games were held in 776 B.C, the modern games started from 1896.The unity of the 5 continents is shown on the Olympic flag by five colorful intertwined rings of red, blue, green, yellow, and black, created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin to represent atleast one color of the participating country’s national flag.

The full name is Wilma Glodean Rudolph, Wilma was born on June 23, 1940 and died on November 12, 1994. She was an American athlete and three time Olympic champion. She was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. Rudolph was playing for the basketball team of her junior high school, when she was spotted by the track and field coach.

While attending Burt High School, Rudolph became a basketball star, setting state records for scoring and leading her team to the state championship. She later became a track star, competing at the 1956 Summer Olympics at the age of 16 where she won a bronze medal in the 4 by 100 m relay. After high school, Rudolph was granted a full scholarship to Tennessee State University where she ultimately received her Bachelor's degree in education in 1963. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome she won three Olympic titles; in the 100 m, 200 m and the 4 by 100 m relay. In 1961, Rudolph received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

After her athletic career, Rudolph worked as a teacher, track coach, and sports commentator. At age 54, Wilma Rudolph died in her home in Brentwood, Tennessee of brain cancer. In 2004, the United States Postal Service issued a 23 cent postage stamp featuring Rudolph.

The first American woman ever to win three gold medals in the Olympics, Wilma Rudolph overcame major obstacles to make her mark in the record books and in life. She has been inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame and named one of five sports stars selected as America's Greatest Women Athletes by the Women's Sports Foundation, she is in the Black Sports Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Rudolph gave women's track a strong boost in America.

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