From polio to Olympic medalist, the story of Wilma Rudolph is one for the ages. She encapsulated the idea of never giving up.

Rudolph was born prematurely in Tennessee on June 23, 1940. During her childhood she suffered from double pneumonia and scarlet fever which eventually led her to contract polio. Through her contraction of polio she lost the use of her left leg. But, Rudolph never gave up on her leg, massaging it everyday and going to physical therapy in an attempt to get her feeling back. Luckily, it worked, and by 9 years old she was able to use her leg again.

Rudolph started out playing basketball and at 11 years old it was all she was doing. Through basketball she was able to become a state record holder, dropping 49 points in one game. Because of success in basketball, the Tennessee State track coach asked for some of the basketball girls to turn forwards into sprinters. Rudolph was the one to do it. She slowly but surely fell in love with running.

Rudolph ran to the top of the sprinting hierarchy in the running world, competing and medaling at the Olympics. Her work in the track and field community also inspired more young African-American female athletes. She broke boundaries for her gender and her race, opening the space for people to continue doing the same things as her.

Outside of running, she became a track coach and was actively involved in community service and charity. Rudolph was all around a fantastic person who broke boundaries and led a success life on and off the track. She unfortunately passed away in 1994 due to brain cancer. However, her legacy lives on, and her dedication to making people’s lives better will always be remembered.