#26: Wilma Rudolph: The Fastest Woman in the World
Wilma Rudolph was an Olympic sprinter who overcame many obstacles. She suffered from double pneumonia and scarlet fever as a very young child, and didn’t walk on her own for years after as a result of her left leg being paralyzed. She overcame and was praised as the fastest woman in the world during the 1960s.
She was really catapulted to fame during the 1960 Rome Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win three Gold medals in single events, including the 100-meter and 200-meter. In her later years, she began a foundation supporting kids in underserved communities, and she proudly called it her legacy before her passing in 1994.