The Fastest Woman on Earth In all of the history of American sports, few figures are more compelling than Wilma Rudolph. If a barrier stood in her way, Wilma broke it down, whether physical or social. He overcame a series of illnesses, from scarlet fever to polio. She challenged both gender and racial norms and became an undisputed champion. Most impressively, he became a source of inspiration for generations to come, and his story is worth more than a fleeting mention in the text. Even from birth, Wilma Rudolph had all the odds stacked against her. On June 23, 1940, he was born in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. She was born two months premature, a condition caused by her mother's fall. (Smith, 2006) Weighing in at four and a half pounds, the odds of survival were not in his favor, and if he made it, his life would be an uphill battle. But Wilma proved to be a fighter, from an early age, and she resisted. Wilma's birth made her the twentieth of her father's twenty-two children. Neither parent had completed elementary school and the family struggled with poverty, with an income of about $2,500 a year. Despite financial problems, the family remained strong and united, Wilma said "they had everything else, especially love". (Anderson, 2011)Financial issues were just the tip of the iceberg for Wilma. His physical problems began with his premature birth and only increased from there. Before she turned seven, she suffered from double pneumonia, measles, mumps, whooping cough, chickenpox, and scarlet fever. Perhaps most damaging was her battle with polio, which left her suffering from infantile paralysis at the age of four. As a result, he wore a steel brace on his left leg, which helped heal his body but caused considerable psychological damage, according to... middle of paper......est, saying "Winning is great." , sure, but if you really want to do something in life, the secret is to learn to lose. No one always remains undefeated. If you can get back up after a crushing defeat and win again, you will become a champion one day. " (Biography.com, 2014) References Smith, M.M. (2006). Wilma Rudolph: a biography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Anderson, J.J. (2011). Wilma Rudolph: inspiration for track and field. Excerpt 07: 08, April 14, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-rudolph-9466552.Bagchi, R. (2012, June 1. 50 Amazing Olympic Moments No35: Wilma Rudolph's Triple Gold in 1960 . theguardian.com). Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jun/01/50-stunning-olympic-moments-wilma-rudolph.