Olympic athletes spend hours training starting at an early age. Those who do make it to the Olympic Games often do not win medals—and these are the top athletes of the world. Wilma Rudolph not only made it to the Olympics, she won three gold medals.
Wilma Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee. She came from a very big family. She was the 17th of 19 children in her family. The family moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, which is where Wilma grew up. When Wilma was young, she had polio and scarlet fever. The polio left her without the use of one of her legs. She needed to wear leg braces to walk. Eventually, she was able to walk with a special shoe. After about three years, she didn't need the special shoe anymore.
In high school, Wilma played basketball and ran track. She broke all the state basketball records and won all her track meets. Wilma went to Tennessee State University and started training for the Olympics. In July of 1960, Wilma went to the Olympics in Rome, Italy. She won three gold medals and was called the "World's Fastest Woman." She was later named female athlete of the year.
Wilma became a coach and an athletic consultant in Chicago, Illinois. She died in 1994 of a brain tumor. Wilma will be remembered for her courage as a young child overcoming her illness, her athletic ability, and her dedication to reaching her goals. To this day, Wilma's life continues to inspire people to reach their personal goals.
1
According to the passage, Wilma was courageous because
A.
she participated in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
B.
she was a successful basketball player.
C.
she overcame her illness and became a successful athlete.
D.
she was one of the youngest in a large family.
