Wilma Rudolph, 1960. | Getty Images/GettyImages. Ali—known as Cassius Clay when he won the 1960 Olympic light heavyweight boxing title—befriended Rudolph in Rome. That fall, ...

African-American sprinter Wilma Rudolph's talent made her a sports legend when she won three gold medals at the 1960 Olympics. Friends recall how her character made her an American icon.

At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Wilma Rudolph put on the most dominant performance anyone had seen in womenâ s track and field.

Wilma Rudolph overcame a lot of adversity in her quest for gold at the Olympic Games. As a child, the celebrated track and field athlete — whose medal count includes three golds in 1960 and a ...

Wilma Rudolph Photo: Getty Images Bettmann / Contributor. We didn’t forget about the sprinters. Before graduating from Tennessee State University, Wilma Rudolph was already an Olympian.

In 1940, Rudolph was born in Clarksville, the 20th out of 22 children. Polio paralyzed her when she was a child, but by the time she was 12, she began to walk and soon went on to be a world ...