Wilma Rudolph

American sprinter who overcame childhood polio to become the first American woman to win three track and field gold medals at a single Olympics, at Rome 1960.

Born prematurely on 23 June 1940 near Clarksville, Tennessee, the 20th of 22 children, Wilma Rudolph suffered from pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio as a young child, the latter leaving her left leg paralyzed and requiring a metal leg brace for several years. Doctors told her she would never walk again; by age 12 she had regained full use of her leg and turned to athletics. Rudolph made her Olympic debut at the 1956 Melbourne Games at just 16, winning bronze in the 4x100m relay. She enrolled at Tennessee State University, training under coach Ed Temple as part of the famed Tigerbelles programme, and arrived at the 1960 Rome Olympics as one of the favourites. At Rome, Rudolph became the first American woman to win three track and field gold medals at a single Olympics, taking the 100m (tying the world record in her semifinal), the 200m (setting an Olympic record), and anchoring the world-record-setting 4x100m relay team. Dubbed 'The Black Gazelle' by the European press for her speed and grace, she became a global icon and a symbol of triumph over both racial segregation and gender discrimination in 1960s America. Rudolph retired from competition in 1962 and went on to found the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics. She was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983. She died of brain cancer in November 1994 at age 54.

Fluid, graceful sprinting style

A pioneering icon who overcame childhood polio to become 'the fastest woman in the world'