Object Details
- Exhibition Label
- Born St. Bethlehem, Tennessee
- Defying the odds, Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympiad. Childhood illness left Rudolph with a partially paralyzed left leg. Her mother insisted that she would walk again, and through strenuous physical therapy Rudolph had regained total control of her leg by age twelve. In 1957, she won a track scholarship to attend Tennessee State University. During the 1960 Olympic games, Rudolph set world records for the 100-meter and 200-meter races, finishing in 11.0 seconds and 23.2 seconds, respectively. She anchored the women’s 400-meter relay team, in which she turned a two-yard deficit into a three-yard victory, clocking 44.5 seconds. When asked about her legacy as a world-class athlete who had overcome major setbacks, she remarked, “I just want to be remembered as a hard-working lady with certain beliefs.”
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Artist
- George Silk, 17 Nov 1916 - 23 Oct 2004
- Sitter
- Wilma Rudolph, 23 Jun 1940 - 12 Nov 1994
- Date
- 1960
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 23 x 17.9cm (9 1/16 x 7 1/16")
- Sheet: 25.3 x 20.3cm (9 15/16 x 8")
- Mat: 45.7 x 35.6cm (18 x 14")
- Type
- Photograph
