born June 23, 1940, St. Bethlehem, Tenn., U.S.
died Nov. 12, 1994, Brentwood, Tenn.
U.S. sprinter.
She was a sickly child who wore an orthopedic shoe until she was 11. She matured into an excellent basketball player and sprinter in high school and at Tennessee State University. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome she won the 100-m and 200-m dashes and was a member of the winning 4 00D7; 100-m relay team. She became the first American woman to win three track-and-field gold medals in a single Olympics.
Wilma Rudolph, 1961.
AP/Wide World Photos