8 Olympic Athletes Kids Can Look Up To

Wilma Rudolph was born two months premature and spent most of her childhood bedridden. Suffering from a multitude of illnesses including infantile paralysis caused by the polio virus, Rudolph wore braces on her legs and feet until the age of nine. Determined to beat her handicap, she sought treatment for her twisted leg and went on to join her school's basketball team, a sport at which she excelled and where she was eventually discovered by a college track and field coach. Fourteen years after a doctor told Rudolph's mother that her daughter would never be able to walk, she became the first American woman to receive three gold medals for the 100, 200, and 400 meter races. Rudolph's story is a testament to the power of courage and determination.
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Wilma Rudolph was born two months premature and spent most of her childhood bedridden. Suffering from a multitude of illnesses including infantile paralysis caused by the polio virus, Rudolph wore braces on her legs and feet until the age of nine. Determined to beat her handicap, she sought treatment for her twisted leg and went on to join her school's basketball team, a sport at which she excelled and where she was eventually discovered by a college track and field coach. Fourteen years after a doctor told Rudolph's mother that her daughter would never be able to walk, she became the first American woman to receive three gold medals for the 100, 200, and 400 meter races. Rudolph's story is a testament to the power of courage and determination.
Related: 5 questions you should NEVER ask a woman less