Shirley Jo Finney
Wilma Rudolph
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Dec 19, 1977 · A TV movie about Wilma Rudolph, who won three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics despite facing polio and other challenges. Shirley Jo Finney stars as Wilma, and Denzel Washington plays her brother in his first acting role.
- 2 min
- 2
- Who Was Wilma Rudolph?
- Early Life
- Pioneering Olympic Medalist
- Later Years, Death and Legacy
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Wilma Rudolph was a sickly child who had to wear a brace on her left leg. She overcame her disabilities to compete in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games, and in 1960, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics. Later in life, she formed the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics.
Rudolph was born prematurely on June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee, the 20th of 22 children born to dad Ed across his two marriages. She went on to become a pioneering African American track and field champion, but the road to victory was not an easy one for Rudolph. Stricken with double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio as a child, she ha...
Nicknamed "Skeeter" for her famous speed, Rudolph qualified for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. The youngest member of the U.S. track and field team at age 16, she won a bronze medal in the 400-meter relay. After finishing high school, Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State University, where she studied education. She also train...
Rudolph shared her remarkable story with her 1977 autobiography, Wilma, which was turned into a TV film later that year. In the 1980s, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and established the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to promote amateur athletics. She died on November 12, 1994, in Brentwood, Tennessee, after losing a battle with brain...
Wilma Rudolph was a sickly child who overcame her disabilities to compete in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games and win three gold medals in track and field. She was the first American woman to achieve this feat and a pioneer of African American sports. Learn more about her life, achievements, and legacy.
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Dec 7, 2022 · Wilma is a feminine name derived from Wilhelmina, a Germanic name meaning "resolute protection". It is used in various languages and cultures, and has various variants and related names.
Apr 4, 2024 · Wilma Rudolph, American sprinter, the first American woman to win three track-and-field gold medals in a single Olympics. Her victories were in the 100-meter dash, in the 200-meter dash, and as a member of the 4 × 100-meter relay team.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Wilma method, on the other hand, clocked in at 14 minutes and 55 seconds — almost 10 minutes faster. But a revised version of Wilma could be even better, experts argue.
Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, and the second-most intense tropical cyclone recorded in the Western Hemisphere, after Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
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May 4, 2024 · Wilma is a German, Scottish, and Swedish name meaning "resolute protection". It was a Top 100 name in the US from 1912 to 1940, and is also known for Wilma Rudolph, the Olympic sprinter, and Wilma Flintstone, the cartoon character.
