Early in her life, doctors told Wilma Rudolph she would never walk. She had a disease called polio, which crippled her leg. But Wilma proved the doctors wrong. Not only did she walk, she also ran-fast! By the time she was sixteen, she had an Olympic bronze medal. She went on to win three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games. Find out how this dedicated athlete beat the odds to become a champion.

A biography of the African-American woman who overcame crippling polio as a child to become the first woman to win three gold medals in track in a single Olympics.

When doctors told her parents that she may never walk again, no one could have imagined that Wilma Rudolph would grow up to become the worlds fastest woman. This awe-inspiring book shows how, with grace, perseverance, and dedication, young Wilma used her inner strength to overcome physical disabilities caused by polio to win three gold medals for the USA in track and field at the 1960 Olympics. A sports superstar and an icon worldwide, her legacy...

"Wilma was born into a family with 22 brothers and sisters, in the segregated South. She contracted polio in her early years and her doctors said she would never walk again. But Wilma persisted with treatment, and she recovered her strength by the age of 12. At school, Wilma showed a talent for basketball and sprinting, earning the nickname "Skeeter" (mosquito) as she ran so fast. Wilma was in college when she went to the 1960 Olympics. She not only...

Simple text and photographs introduce the life of Wilma Rudolph, an Olympic runner, who overcame childhood illnesses to become the first American to win three gold medals in the Olympics.

"A chapter book biography of Florence Griffith Joyner, part of the She Persisted series"-- "Considered the fastest woman of all time, Florence Griffith Joyner, also known as Flo-Jo, set two world records in 1988 that still stand today. But getting there wasn't easy, and Flo-Jo had to overcome many challenges along the way. She succeeded in achieving her dreams, and inspired creative self-expression and a new generation of athletes as she did."...

A biography emphasizing the running career of the Olympic gold medalist who set new records in the 1988 Games in Seoul.

Describes the track star's early interest and success in both track and basketball, her decision to concentrate on track at the University of North Carolina, and her success at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.