November 16, 2023 • 8 mins
A 16-year-old Wilma Rudolph was the youngest athlete in the United States Olympic team at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. Representing her country on the world stage was a proud moment for the high school student. Even the bronze medal she took home was a huge achievement, considering Wilma was once told as a child that she would never walk again.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
It's December nineteen fifty six the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne.
Six nations are competing in the final of the women's
four by one hundred meter relay. The Australians are favorites
to take home the gold, but they'll have to overcome
the United States, who are keen to prove themselves. Among
the Americans is sixteen year old Wilma Rudolph, the youngest
(00:26):
athlete in the entire US Olympic team. If you know
your Aussie sports history, you know that a record breaking
Australian team won gold that day at the MCG and
the United States, well they came third.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, lebronze medal wasn't the goal.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
It was still a huge achievement for Wilma Rudolph, who
was once told as a child that she would never
walk again. Hi, welcome to the ballroom where we celebrate
the winners, lose and the weird stuff between.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm Tony Armstrong.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Wilma Rudolph grew up in Tennessee as the third youngest
of twenty two children.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
It was the nineteen forties. Her family didn't have.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
A lot of money and segregation was still widespread. As
if that wasn't difficult enough. Wilma also struggled with severe
illness throughout her childhood, including measles and pneumonia.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Around age five.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Wilma contracted polio. It was weakness in her left leg
that led her parents to seek urgent medical attention.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
The news wasn't good.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Wilma lost all use of her leg and doctors believed
she'd never walk again. It was devastating, but Wilma's parents
wouldn't stand for it. Despite the diagnosis, they set out
to find a place that was willing to treat their daughter.
(02:18):
Because of racial inequality at the time, access to services
was limited. However, one institution was able to help, a
historically black medical college at Fisk University. It was about
an hour's drive away in Nashville.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
But it was their best option.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Twice a week for two years, Wilma and her mother
traveled by bus into the city for physical therapy.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Wilma's many siblings would.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Also take turns giving her massages at home. Amazingly, Wilmer
eventually got some movement back, but needed the support of
a metal leg break. If you're picturing a young Forest
Gump from the iconic movie, you're not far off. She
wore that brace on her left leg for the next
five years. Wilma hated wearing the brace, but by age twelve,
(03:16):
she'd made a remarkable recovery. She was finally able to
walk again without the need for a brace or an
orthopedic shoe. Wilma was ready to take on the world.
Having overcome debilitating illness and disability, Wilma Rudolph took a
(03:38):
keen interest in sports. Her first love was basketball. She
started playing at home with her siblings, but soon turned
to more competitive options, joining her high school team. She
was skillful and she was quick. Wilma had made incredible progress,
but she was just getting started. While playing in a
(04:02):
state basketball tournament, she was spotted by a track and
field coach named Ed Temple from Tennessee State University. Ed
was impressed by wilma speed and thought she had great
potential to be a sprinter. Who would have thought the
girl who couldn't walk at all just a few years
ago was now being scouted by one of the best
(04:22):
athletics coaches in the country. Wilma's high school didn't have
an existing track team, so ed Temple recommended.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
They form one. It turned out.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
The school didn't have the money for it, so instead
Ed invited Wilma to a training camp at the university
over summer. She was still just fourteen years of age,
but the camp put her on the path to Olympic glory.
(04:55):
Wilma trained regularly with Ed. He was a great coach,
but he could be tough to He'd make his athletes
run an extra lap for each minute they were late
for training. Wilma learned quickly and began turning up thirty
minutes early. It wasn't long before she was entering track
meets and winning races. Wilma wasn't just fast, she was
(05:18):
blitzing her competition, who were often much older than her.
I don't know why I run so fast, Wilma said,
I just run. Wilma Rudolph was so good that a
spot in the United States Olympic track team. Beckond Ed
Temple also happened to be the national team coach, and
there was no doubt in his mind that the now
(05:40):
sixteen year old had more than earned her qualification for
the nineteen fifty six Summer Games. The Melbourne Olympics was
a great success for Team USA, finishing second overall with
seventy four medals. Although Wilma was eliminated in the two
hundred meters heat, she helped the relay team to a
third place finish. Representing your country and taking home bronze
(06:01):
would have been enough for most people if they had
been through the kind of struggles Wilma had, but her
ceiling was much much higher. Fast forward four more years
and she was back on the world stage. The nineteen
to sixty Olympics in Rome was where Wilma showed her dominance.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
She won three gold medals in.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
The one hundred, two hundred and four by one hundred
meter relay.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
The first American woman to do so.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Even more impressive was the fact that she broke three
world records in the process. Wilma Rudolph had become the
fastest woman in the world.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Still just twenty years.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Old, it seemed like Wilma would continue to command the
running track for some time. Yet she was a true
star athlete of the era, known around the world. For
a short time, she even dated a young boxer by
the name of Cassius Clay yep the great Muhammad Ali.
But just as quick as her astonishing rise to the top,
(07:04):
Wilma retired from sprinting two years after the Games in Rome.
Following retirement, Wilma continued her studies at university. She became
a track coach and a high school teacher. Wilma understood
what it was like to struggle, even at the height
of her athletic career. She didn't earn a lot of money,
(07:25):
but in the face of illness, inequality, and discrimination, she
overcame the odds to achieve the unimaginable. Later in life,
she established her own nonprofit providing athletic and academic support
for underprivileged kids across America, a legacy that endures.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Tragically.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with cancer in nineteen ninety four
and died that.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
She was just fifty four years old.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
She's remembered as one of the greatest and most inspirational
athletes of the twentieth century. Thanks for dropping into the poolroom.
(08:35):
You've been listening to an iHeart production. I'm Tony Armstrong
and I'll catch you next time.
It's December nineteen fifty six the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne.
Six nations are competing in the final of the women's
four by one hundred meter relay. The Australians are favorites
to take home the gold, but they'll have to overcome
the United States, who are keen to prove themselves. Among
the Americans is sixteen year old Wilma Rudolph, the youngest
(00:26):
athlete in the entire US Olympic team. If you know
your Aussie sports history, you know that a record breaking
Australian team won gold that day at the MCG and
the United States, well they came third.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, lebronze medal wasn't the goal.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
It was still a huge achievement for Wilma Rudolph, who
was once told as a child that she would never
walk again. Hi, welcome to the ballroom where we celebrate
the winners, lose and the weird stuff between.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm Tony Armstrong.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Wilma Rudolph grew up in Tennessee as the third youngest
of twenty two children.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
It was the nineteen forties. Her family didn't have.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
A lot of money and segregation was still widespread. As
if that wasn't difficult enough. Wilma also struggled with severe
illness throughout her childhood, including measles and pneumonia.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Around age five.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Wilma contracted polio. It was weakness in her left leg
that led her parents to seek urgent medical attention.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
The news wasn't good.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Wilma lost all use of her leg and doctors believed
she'd never walk again. It was devastating, but Wilma's parents
wouldn't stand for it. Despite the diagnosis, they set out
to find a place that was willing to treat their daughter.
(02:18):
Because of racial inequality at the time, access to services
was limited. However, one institution was able to help, a
historically black medical college at Fisk University. It was about
an hour's drive away in Nashville.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
But it was their best option.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Twice a week for two years, Wilma and her mother
traveled by bus into the city for physical therapy.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Wilma's many siblings would.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Also take turns giving her massages at home. Amazingly, Wilmer
eventually got some movement back, but needed the support of
a metal leg break. If you're picturing a young Forest
Gump from the iconic movie, you're not far off. She
wore that brace on her left leg for the next
five years. Wilma hated wearing the brace, but by age twelve,
(03:16):
she'd made a remarkable recovery. She was finally able to
walk again without the need for a brace or an
orthopedic shoe. Wilma was ready to take on the world.
Having overcome debilitating illness and disability, Wilma Rudolph took a
(03:38):
keen interest in sports. Her first love was basketball. She
started playing at home with her siblings, but soon turned
to more competitive options, joining her high school team. She
was skillful and she was quick. Wilma had made incredible progress,
but she was just getting started. While playing in a
(04:02):
state basketball tournament, she was spotted by a track and
field coach named Ed Temple from Tennessee State University. Ed
was impressed by wilma speed and thought she had great
potential to be a sprinter. Who would have thought the
girl who couldn't walk at all just a few years
ago was now being scouted by one of the best
(04:22):
athletics coaches in the country. Wilma's high school didn't have
an existing track team, so ed Temple recommended.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
They form one. It turned out.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
The school didn't have the money for it, so instead
Ed invited Wilma to a training camp at the university
over summer. She was still just fourteen years of age,
but the camp put her on the path to Olympic glory.
(04:55):
Wilma trained regularly with Ed. He was a great coach,
but he could be tough to He'd make his athletes
run an extra lap for each minute they were late
for training. Wilma learned quickly and began turning up thirty
minutes early. It wasn't long before she was entering track
meets and winning races. Wilma wasn't just fast, she was
(05:18):
blitzing her competition, who were often much older than her.
I don't know why I run so fast, Wilma said,
I just run. Wilma Rudolph was so good that a
spot in the United States Olympic track team. Beckond Ed
Temple also happened to be the national team coach, and
there was no doubt in his mind that the now
(05:40):
sixteen year old had more than earned her qualification for
the nineteen fifty six Summer Games. The Melbourne Olympics was
a great success for Team USA, finishing second overall with
seventy four medals. Although Wilma was eliminated in the two
hundred meters heat, she helped the relay team to a
third place finish. Representing your country and taking home bronze
(06:01):
would have been enough for most people if they had
been through the kind of struggles Wilma had, but her
ceiling was much much higher. Fast forward four more years
and she was back on the world stage. The nineteen
to sixty Olympics in Rome was where Wilma showed her dominance.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
She won three gold medals in.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
The one hundred, two hundred and four by one hundred
meter relay.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
The first American woman to do so.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Even more impressive was the fact that she broke three
world records in the process. Wilma Rudolph had become the
fastest woman in the world.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Still just twenty years.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Old, it seemed like Wilma would continue to command the
running track for some time. Yet she was a true
star athlete of the era, known around the world. For
a short time, she even dated a young boxer by
the name of Cassius Clay yep the great Muhammad Ali.
But just as quick as her astonishing rise to the top,
(07:04):
Wilma retired from sprinting two years after the Games in Rome.
Following retirement, Wilma continued her studies at university. She became
a track coach and a high school teacher. Wilma understood
what it was like to struggle, even at the height
of her athletic career. She didn't earn a lot of money,
(07:25):
but in the face of illness, inequality, and discrimination, she
overcame the odds to achieve the unimaginable. Later in life,
she established her own nonprofit providing athletic and academic support
for underprivileged kids across America, a legacy that endures.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Tragically.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with cancer in nineteen ninety four
and died that.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
She was just fifty four years old.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
She's remembered as one of the greatest and most inspirational
athletes of the twentieth century. Thanks for dropping into the poolroom.
(08:35):
You've been listening to an iHeart production. I'm Tony Armstrong
and I'll catch you next time.
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