TOAST of the OLYMPICS - late Wilma Rudolph

by A.C. de Silva

ATHLETICS: Olympic star Wilma Rudolph who overcame scarlet fever and polio to win three gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, died of cancer at the age of 54 years on November 12 in 1994. She retired from active participation in 1962.

Moment to remember... Wilma Rudolph in happier times with the three gold medals won at the 1960 Rome Olympics. She is no more, but her superb running will always be remembered.

She turned out to be a goodwill ambassador for US athletics and besides her wonderful running, she also championed underprivileged children and was a role model for female athletes.

"She was one of the greatest sprinters of all time," said U.S. Olympic Committee President LeRoy Walker who had been friendly with Rudolph for around 50 years.

In an Olympic Games, athletics is no doubt the number one sport. The stadium that holds the athletic events are chock-a-bloc with various countries bringing in large contingents of cheering parties to give the much needed support to their athletes.

It is quite natural that the Olympics has got top billing as the top notch runners and field event specialists the world over meet there to match their skills and bring glory to their respective countries.

The United States of America over the years have established themselves as a world power and won plenty of medals as their standards have been far superior to the rest of the world.

Talking of America one cannot lose sight or memory of the name of Rudolph.

The fifth of the eight children born to Mrs. Blanch Rudolph of Kellogg Street, Clarksville, Tennessee, where there also lived the 11 children of Mrs. Rudolph's first marriage, was a poor little girl, who lost the use of her left leg at the age of four.

Unable to run around the streets and playgrounds, the little girl was wrapped in a blanket and taken once a week for two years to the nearest clinic at Nashville, some 45 miles away! At six they fitted her with a pair of special shoes. At seven she could totter, and at eight she had learnt all over again how to use her legs.

Triple Gold

Yet at 16, that same frail little girl - Wilma Gledean Rudolph - wore the colours of the United States in the women's 200 metres heats in the Olympic Games at Melbourne.

Four years later, just 20 years, 2 months, and 16 days old, she was the toast of the Rome Olympic Games. She struck triple Gold Medal honours in the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4x100 metres relay.

Nine times Wilma settled in the starting blocks, and nine times she breasted the winners tape. Tough isn't the word for the struggle this once weak, ailing and later lanky (she was about 6 feet tall in Rome) girl faced and overcame. Life began to change for her at the age of 11 years when one of her brothers erected a basketball hoop in the backyard. By the time she had reached her 15th birthday Wilma was an "All State" basketball player, and was still playing when she took her first stride towards those Olympic Golds.

Edward S. Temple, women's coach at Tennessee State University, Nashville, urged the basketball coach to form a school track team. Wilma was included.Edward Temple's reward came when, excluding the throwers in the 18-strong U.S.A. women's team for Rome, eight of the remaining 14 were his "pupils" - and Wilma was the star of them all.

At 19 Wilma was plagued with muscle trouble but still managed to take the national (AAU) 100 yards title.

A year later she was on top of the world, an Olympic and World record-holder. Her secret formula for success? "I don't know, I just run," she said.