#15: Alice Coachman: Pioneering Track Star
Alice Coachman became the first Black woman to ever win an Olympic Gold medal, in 1948. She won the women’s high jump at the London Olympics, jumping over physical and figurative barriers to do so. Her win was a step forward in the long (and still ongoing) fight for equality.
Coachman’s track and field career ended after the 1948 Olympic Games, but she is still recognized as an athletic pioneer. Coachman made it possible for other Black women like Wilma Rudolph and Jackie Joyner-Kersee to thrive in the world of professional athleticism and continue to act as role models for little girls around the world.