Wilma rudolph biography youtube bewitched

Wilma Glodean Rudolph, an American sprinter born on 23 June 1940 in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee, remains one of the most inspiring figures in athletics history.

Her story is not just one of athletic triumph but also of overcoming extraordinary odds, breaking racial and gender barriers, and leaving an indelible mark on the world.

Early Life: Overcoming adversity

Wilma Rudolph was born into a family of 22 siblings, the 20th child of Ed and Blanche Rudolph.

Her early life was marked by severe health challenges.

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At the age of four, she contracted polio, which left her with a paralysed leg. Despite the bleak prognosis and limited medical resources available to African Americans in the segregated South, Rudolph’s mother refused to give up.

Blanche took Wilma to a hospital in Nashville for regular treatments, a journey of 50 miles each way.

Determined to help her daughter walk again, Blanche also learned physical ther