Wilma was born in Clarksville, Tennessee. The 20th of 22 children, she was born with polio, and suffered pneumonia and scarlet fever. There was doubt that she would ever walk without her leg brace. But one Sunday in church, when Wilma was 13, she removed her leg brace and walked down the aisle. It seemed that by some divine intervention she could walk without it.

She became involved in track and in 1956, when she was only a sophomore in high school, she went to the Melbourne Olympic Games. She lost the 200 meter race but her relay team brought home the bronze. In the 1960 Olympics she set the world record in the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter relay. Wilma was the fastest woman in the world.

Returning home, she received the first racially integrated parade ever in Clarksville, Tennessee. She became an inspiration for a generation of girls. She received numerous sports awards and later became a coach and a teacher. In 1993 she was awarded President Clinton�s National Sports Award. Rudolph was an inspiration for all young women.