With courage that matched the sun, Wilma Glodean Rudolph (1940–1994) overcame scarlet fever, pneumonia, and polio at age four to become an Olympic champion. Called the “fastest woman in the world,” she ran with grace that made speed look effortless.

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, the twentieth of twenty-two children, she wore a leg brace until she was nine and endured teasing for her limp. “The triumph can’t be had without the struggle,” she said. And she met every struggle with work and faith.

In high school she never lost a race. At sixteen she won a bronze in the 400-meter relay. Four summers later, in 1960, the “Black Gazelle” flew in Rome and became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Games. “I don’t know why I run so fast,” she smiled. “I just run.”

A mentor to Florence Griffith Joyner and an inspiration to countless young athletes, Rudolph taught school and coached track, then founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation to open lanes for others. “Sometimes it takes years to really grasp what has happened to your life,” she reflected. “I just want to be remembered as a hardworking lady with certain beliefs.”