#58: Fighting Adversity

RUN WILMA RUN!

Wilma Rudolph was incredibly born the 20th of 22 children in 1940s Tennessee. She was unfortunately a sickly child, contracting scarlet fever and polio, leading to temporary paralysis and a wasted left leg. Wilma’s classmates teased her about the clunky, metal brace that wrapped around her skinny muscles, and this for a 7-year-old hurt more than anything else. 

Wilma explains that the original prognosis was very bleak, though her mum thought differently, ‘My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would… I believed my mother.’

Every week Wilma and her mother took the 50-mile bus ride from Clarksville to Nashville, where the nearest hospital available for African Americans was situated. On each trip, a different sibling would accompany them, to learn the necessary massage techniques. 

Then at home they all took turns to massage Wilma’s leg – 4 times daily, to promote recovery. Wilma would also sneak the brace off at every opportunity, just to feel normal and avoid the kids’ taunts, which had the added benefit of strengthening her weaker leg.

By 9-years-old Wilma could thankfully walk without the brace and started to play outside with the other kids. Her mother had been right all along! With her natural height and speed, she enjoyed basketball and dominated whilst breaking the high school scoring record in grade 9. 

Tennessee State Athletics coach Ed Temple spotted Wilma playing – he could see the natural athleticism and asked her to try out for track and field.

Sleek and 6 ft tall, Wilma glided across the surface and began to love the discipline needed, ‘I ran and ran and ran every day, and acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit, that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.’ Wilma started winning high school meets, then at club and state level too.

At 16, after just two years of proper track training and having been told she would never walk again, Wilma amazingly became the youngest person on the USA Olympics Team for Melbourne 1956! She won bronze in the 4 x100 metres relay and felt vindicated showing her medal to the same classmates who had teased her all those years before.

Wilma saw track as her route to education - she was the first of her siblings to even have a chance of going to college. She doubled down on training and won a scholarship for Tennessee State under Ed Temple. 

Ed was clearly doing something right, as by 1960 all the women on the 4 x 100 USA Olympics relay team attended Tennessee State. Ed quite rightly was the US coach and he beamed with pride in the Rome heat as Wilma won the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 relay gold medals.

Her soft, southern drawl and graceful manner belied a steely inner compass and Wilma adamantly refused to attend her homecoming celebrations unless it was an integrated event. The mayor agreed and 1000s from all communities lined the streets of Clarksville for her return. 

Wilma retired from athletics at 22, became a teacher and taught track to various community centres helping underprivileged kids to realise their dreams. From the girl who would never walk to the first American woman to win 3 Olympic golds, Wilma made everyone a believer. Watch a Wilma Interview

WISDOM 💎

‘Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.’

Wilma Rudolph

Tip 1 - A SMART PLAY ✅

‘My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.’

Her mother believed in her, and the doctor didn’t – listen to people who believe in you, especially yourself.

Tip 2 - AVOID 🚩

Letting your weaknesses stop you… ‘All those years the leg braces were the motivation behind me.’

Wilma turned a negative into a positive - using it as fuel to inspire her.

Tip 3 - ACTION 💪

‘Believe me the reward is not so great without the struggle’

Wilma Rudolph

What challenge is awaiting you? Is it impossible for you to overcome it? If not, what's the first step?