It sounds so cliché, and it’s an expression that’s been used to describe many people, but here it is again. In the dictionary under the definition of the word adversity must surely be a photo of Wilma Rudolph. Born prematurely on June 23, 1940, Rudolph weighed only 4.5 pounds at birth. Christened Wilma Glodean Rudolph, this tiny infant would also soon be struck with infantile paralysis, caused by the polio virus. Wilma was the 20th child in a family of 22 children, born to Ed and Blanche Rudolph. In a time when the Great Depression was still affecting employment and security, Wilma, it could be assumed, was simply an unfortunate girl who would not get the necessary attention her condition required, and it would be no one’s fault.
Wilma’s mother, however, was a determined woman, and dedicated her meager resources to the health of her child. The nearest hospital was for whites only, so Wilma’s mother was forced to nurse her daughter through many deadly diseases, including measles, scarlet fever, chicken pox and double pneumonia at home. When it became obvious her legs were deforming, Wilma’s stalwart mother took her to the Meharry Hospital, a black medical college of Fisk University in Nashville. It was 50 miles away from their home in Clarksville, but Wilma went twice a week for two years. For her mother, finally seeing her daughter walk with the aid of a metal brace, proved her devotion was not in vain.
A doctor instructed leg massages at home, and Wilma’s condition began to improve. Her entire family assisted, giving Wilma four massages a day for therapy. Eventually, Wilma recovered enough to walk and started attending school at the age of seven, having been previously tutored at home. In that time, schools were segregated by law, and young Wilma learned in an all-black school, which unfortunately meant they were less likely to have proper funding for books, teachers, and resources. Nothing, however, would hold Wilma back.
When her sister Yolanda joined the school basketball team, Wilma followed. While her coach, Clinton Gray, was hesitant about playing her and forced her to wait three years before putting her into the game, when she was finally unleashed as the starting guard, she helped vault her team to the championships. It was during the State Basketball Championship that she caught the eye of Ed Temple, coach of the famous Tennessee State track and field team, the Tigerbelles. He recognized her potential immediately and invited her to a sports summer camp.
She quickly excelled in track and field events, and at the age of 16, she earned a place on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. This honor didn’t go to her head however, and she brought home a bronze medal from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, in the 4×100-meter relay. The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome were another shining moment for Wilma, as she won medals in the 100 and 200-meter races and 4×100-meter relay. This marvelous woman even ran the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds flat, though it was uncredited as it was determined to be ‘wind-aided’. Rudolph also went on to win the 200-meter dash, setting a new Olympic record of 23.2 seconds. It had been Wilma’s hope to have a good showing in Rome to pay tribute to her inspiration Jesse Owens. An African American track and field star, Owens competed in the 1936 Berlin, Germany Olympics at a time when he not only lacked support from his country, but also faced the less tolerant Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party who were hell bent on proving the nonsense of Aryan superiority. Winning four gold medals – in the 100-meter, 200-meter, long jump and the 4×100-meter relay team – Owens shattered Hitler’s notion that any race is superior to another.
After graduating from Burt High, Wilma was awarded a full scholarship to Tennessee State and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in education in 1963, after taking a year off for international track events and appearances. Also in that year, she married her high school sweetheart, Robert Eldridge, and they subsequently had four children.
When looking back on the life of Wilma Rudolph, it’s difficult to believe that she accomplished all that she did, despite having had polio and myriad other childhood diseases. Even more unlikely is that her running career, explosive as it was, ended when she was just 22 years old when she retired. What makes her story bittersweet is that Wilma passed away at the age of 54 from brain cancer. For her determination and breaking barriers in the face of adversity, her legacy will live on as one of the country’s most courageous and strong-willed women, competing where few people of color and few women, had previously. Wilma Rudolph shattered barriers of race and gender, providing a beacon of hope and equality for people all throughout the world.