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Rudolph was born in Clarksville, Tennessee and at early age, it was discovered that she, the 20th of 22 children, had polio. Her mother took her to a hospital for blacks 50 miles from their home twice a week, and at age 12, she could walk normally again and she decided to become an athlete. She was playing for the basketball team of her junior high school, when she was spotted by the track and field coach.
She went to 1956 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal as a member of the relay team. Four years later, in Rome, she won three Olympic titles; in the 100 m, 200 m and the 4 x 100 m relay.
After her athletic career, Rudolph worked as a teacher, track coach, and sports commentator. She married Robert Eldridge in 1963 and had four children: Yolanda (1958), Djuanna (1964), Robert Jr. (1965) and Xurry (1971). They later divorced.
At age 54, Wilma Rudolph died in her home in Brentwood, TennesseeBrentwood is a city located in Williamson County, Tennessee, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 23,445. Geography Brentwood is located at 35°59'53" North, 86°47'33" West (35. 998194, -86. According to the United States Census B of brain cancer. In 2004, the United States Postal Service issued a 23 cent stamp featuring Rudolph.
| Olympic medalists in athletics (women) | Olympic Champions in Women's 100 m |
| Betty Robinson | Stanislawa Walasiewicz | Helen Stephens | Fanny Blankers-Koen | Marjorie Jackson | Betty Cuthbert | Wilma Rudolph | Wyomia Tyus | Renate Stecher | Annegret Richter | Lyudmila Kondratyeva | Evelyn Ashford | Florence Griffith Joyner | Gail Devers | Marion Jones | Yulia Nesterenko |
| Olympic medalists in athletics (women) | Olympic Champions in Women's 200 m |
| Fanny Blankers-Koen | Marjorie Jackson | Betty Cuthbert | Wilma Rudolph | Edith McGuire | Irena Szewinska | Renate Stecher | Bärbel Eckert Wöckel (twice) | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | Florence Griffith Joyner | Gwen Torrence | Marie-José Perec | Marion Jones | Veronica Campbell |
| Olympic medalists in athletics (women) | Olympic Champions in Women's 4x100 m relay |
| 1928 Canada Fanny Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith , Florence Bell & Myrtle Cook 1932 United States Mary Carew , Evelyn Furtsch , Annette Rogers & Wilhelmina Von Bremen 1936 United States Harriet Bland , Annette Rogers , Betty Robinson & Helen Stephens 1948 Netherlands Xenia Stad-de Jong, Netty Witziers-Timmer, Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs & Fanny Blankers-Koen 1952 United States Mae Faggs , Barbara Jones , Janet Moreau & Catherine Hardy 1956 Australia Shirley Strickland, Norma Croker , Fleur Mellor & Betty Cuthbert 1960 United States Martha Hudson , Lucinda Williams , Barbara Jones & Wilma Rudolph 1964 Poland Teresa Wieczorek , Irena Kirszenstein, Halina Richter & Ewa Klobukowska 1968 United States Barbara Ferrell , Margaret Bailes , Mildrette Netter & Wyomia Tyus 1972 West Germany Christiane Krause , Ingrid Mickler , Annegret Richter & Heidemarie Rosendahl 1976 East Germany Marlies Oelsner , Renate Stecher, Carla Bodendorf & Bärbel Eckert 1980 East Germany Romy Müller , Bärbel Wöckel , Ingrid Auerswald & Marlies Göhr 1984 United States Alice Brown , Jeanette Bolden , Chandra Cheeseborough & Evelyn Ashford 1988 United States Alice Brown , Sheila Echols , Florence Griffith Joyner & Evelyn Ashford 1992 United States Evelyn Ashford, Esther Jones , Carlette Guidry & Gwen Torrence 1996 United States Gail Devers, Inger Miller, Chryste Gaines & Gwen Torrence 2000 Bahamas Sevatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis & Debbie Ferguson 2004 Jamaica Tayna Lawrence, Sherone Simpson, Aleen Bailey & Veronica Campbell |