Wilma Rudolph, the great motivator
By G. Surendra

Dear readers till now we have seen the role of women in the environment, now we will see the role of woman in achieving impossible task inspite of having severe disability.

Here I would like to present a story of a great athlete named Wilma Rudolph. She was born into poor home in Tennessee. At age of four, she had double pneumonia with scarlet fever, a deadly combination that left her paralyzed with polio. She had to wear a brace and the doctor said she would never put her foot on the earth. But her mother encouraged her. She told Wilma that with god-given ability, persistence and faith she could do anything that she wanted. Wilma said, “I want to be the fastest woman on the track on this earth.” At the age of nine, against the advice of the doctors, she removed the brace and took the first step the doctors had said she never would. At the age of thirteen she entered her first race and came way, way lost.

And then she competed for second, third and fourth races and came way, way lost until a day came when she came first. At the age of fifteen she went to Tennessee State University where she met a coach named Ed Temple. She told him, “I want to be the fastest woman on the track in this earth.” Temple said, “with your spirit nobody can stop you and besides, I will help you.”

Then a day came when she was at the Olympics. She was matched with the best of the best. Wilma was matched against a woman named Jutta Heine who had never been beaten. The first event was the 100-meter race. Wilma beat Jutta Heine and won her first gold medal. Then Wilma beat Jutta a second time and won her second gold medal. The third event was the 400-meter relay. In relay race the fastest person always runs the last lap and they both anchored their teams. The first three people ran and changed the baton easily. When it came to Wilma’s turn she dropped the baton. But Wilma saw Jutta shoot up at the other end, she picked the baton, ran like a machine, beat Jutta a third time and won her third gold medal. It became history: that a paralytic woman became the fastest woman on this earth at the 1960 Olympics.

What a lesson to be learnt from Wilma. It teaches us that successful women do it in spite of, not in absence of problems.

When we hear or read the stories of successful women who have turned adversity into opportunity, doesn’t it motivate us? If we regularly read biographies and autobiographies of such people, won’t we stay motivated?