7 E The glrl who was born to run
Wilma Rudolph was the first American
woman to win three gold medals at the
U30 same Olympic Games. Wilma was just 20
years old when she ran for the USA team at
the 1960 Rome Olympics. She won a gold
medal in the 100 metres, 200 metres and
the 4x100 metres race.
However, Wilma had to work very hard to
be a champion. She was born on 23rd June,
1940 and was very small, weighing less
than two kilos. She wasn’t strong and, in
those days, catching the flu or a more
dangerous virus like polio was very
common.
The polio virus gives people headaches, a
fever and a sore throat, and can also cause
problems with their arms and legs. There
isn’t a cure for polio, but there is a vaccine.
Unfortunately, Wilma didn’t have the vaccine
and she got polio when she was four. After
recovering from the disease, the doctors
told Wilma that she would never walk again.
But Wilma and her parents didn’t believe
them.
Wilma’s left leg wasn’t very strong and she
had to wear special shoes until she was
eleven. Children at her school used to laugh
at the way she walked, but Wilma didn’t give
up. She kept on trying to do the same things
as other children. When she was 12, she
joined the school basketball team and then
the athletics team. She was very good at
running and became the fastest girl in her
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