A Motivational Story of Olympic Proportions
Wilma Rudolph's Uphill Battle to Olympic Gold
-- By Jason Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer
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When considering these athletes and their abilities—some of which come from hard work and others that come from natural talent—it's hard to imagine that some of them have overcome insurmountable odds to get where they are today. One notable champion was the late Wilma Rudolph.
Born in 1940 in rural Tennessee, Wilma grew up in a family with 22 children. Her father was a railroad porter and her mother a maid. When Wilma Rudolph was only four years old, she was diagnosed with polio, a crippling disease that rendered her unable to walk.
Her mother did everything she could to help Wilma walk on her own again, even though all of her doctors assured her that it would never happen. Every week, she took Wilma on a long bus trip to a hospital to receive therapy. Although the doctors gave no assurance, they encouraged her to massage Wilma’s legs every day. She taught her other children how to do it, and Wilma's mother and siblings and rubbed her weak legs four times a day.
