Wilma Rudolph was in the 1960 Olympics. This was an incredible thing because Wilma couldn't walk as a child. She got scarlet fever and pneumonia. Doctor were able to cure her illnesses, but she could no longer move her left leg. Even though doctors said she probably wouldn't ever walk again, her mother believed her daughter would walk again.
When Wilma was six, she got a brace for her leg. This made it hard for her to go far, and she had to hop. She wore the brace for two years. When it came off, she limped, but at least she was walking. Wilma wore some special shoes for three more years. This is when Wilma began to run and play.
By 1960, Wilma was a world champion. She won two gold medals in track and field, and one additional medal when she ran the last leg of the 400-meter relay. Wilma had come from behind to beat the German runner ahead of her.
Wilma Rudolph had accomplished something unbelievable. She could barely walk as a child, and yet she won four Olympic medals in track and field as a woman!
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