Wilma Rudolph's Life And Accomplishments

The Black Gazelle “My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces” (“Rudolph Quotes and Sayings”). When Wilma was young, she had polio and was told that she would never be able to walk again. But, she ignored that and proved that she could do the best she could; by winning 3 gold medals in track & field. Wilma Rudolph has made an impact in track & field by being African American and the first woman to win 3 gold medals in a single Olympics. Wilma Rudolph has gone through so much when she was younger to get to where she was when she was when she was 16. At just 4 years old, gold medalist Wilma Rudolph had problems with her left leg and had to wear a brace. “It

When she was 16, she became a part of the USA Olympics team in 1956. “The youngest member of the U.S. track and field team at age 16, she won a bronze medal in the 400 meter relay” (“Pioneering Olympic Medalist”). At such a young age, Wilma was able to accomplish being on the Olympics team after she defeated her defect. Wilma Rudolph was so fast, she gold medaled in three events at a single Olympic game. “She won the 100m with her wind-aided mark of 11.0 seconds in the final. Similarly, Rudolph broke the Olympic record in the 200m dash (23.3 seconds) in the heats before claiming another gold medal with her time of 24.0 seconds. She was also part of the U.S. team that established the world record in the 400m relay (44.4 seconds) before going on to win gold with a time of 44.5 seconds. As a result, Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympic Games” (“Pioneering Olympic Medalist”). This is proof that even though someone can start off with disabilities and defects as a young child, they can always have hope and bring themselves back up. It is not about how someone starts, but it is about how they finish. After her proud moments as the fastest woman, she has left a true impact in Track &