She was an American athlete and her strong will and dedication would forever be admired. Wilma Rudolf was a champion but she struggled to become one.

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee; Wilma Rudolf would become known as the "Tennessee Tornado" and she’d wear the title proudly. Wilma was born in 1940. She was one of twenty-two children that Ed and Blanche Rudolph raised. She had polio as a young child and wasn’t able to walk without the help of her leg braces. However, she was determined to walk again.

Not only would Wilma Rudolf miraculously walk again, but she would run. She was watched carefully by a Tennessee State track and field coach when she was playing basketball. She was approached about a berth on the U.S. Olympic Team in track and field and in 1956; she was at the Melbourne games.

In 1956, she came home with the Bronze medal but when she returned to the Summer Olympics in 1960, she’d capture three gold medals for the home team in track and field. She was the first American woman to win three gold medals for track and field in one solitary Olympic Games competition.

She went on to win two races at an important U.S.-Soviet meet. Then, she retired. In 1963, she was granted a full scholarship and her opportunity to attend Tennessee State University where she would earn her degree in elementary education.

In 1994, Wilma Rudolf died at her home in Brentwood, Tennessee. She had fought a battle with brain cancer and ultimately lost in the end. However, she will always be remembered for the achievements that she secured during her lifetime as an Olympic athlete.