Wilma Rudolph was an American sprinter, who became a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international icon in track and field. 

Rudolph was born prematurely at 4.5 pounds (2.0 kg) on June 23, 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. 

She was able to overcome several early childhood illnesses, including pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio. She enrolled at Tennessee State University in Nashville in 1958.  

She won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. She also won three gold medals, at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.  

Rudolph was known as the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

BlackFacts.com is the Internet's longest running Black History Encyclopedia. Our podcast summarizes the vast stories of Black history in daily episodes known as Black Facts Of The Day™.

Since 1997, BlackFacts.com has been serving up Black History Facts on a daily basis to millions of users and followers on the web and via social media.

Learn Black History. Teach Black History.

For more Black Facts, join Black Facts Nation at BlackFacts.com/join.

Because Black History is 365 Days a Year, and Black Facts Matter!