“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”

– Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was known as the fastest woman in the world during her running career. However, when she was a child, Rudolph had to survive polio and scarlet fever and was told she would never walk again. She proved everyone wrong and became an Olympian at the age of 16 in 1956. Rudolph and her teammates won the bronze medal in the 4×100-meter relay. She then competed at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. She won gold in all three events she competed in: the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 4×100-meter relay. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

Wilma Rudolph competed at the collegiate level for Tennessee State University while still in high school. She eventually enrolled in the university once she was old enough, and she broke serval records and was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1961. Rudolph retired after that year from the sport, but she continued to be a force in the track and field world. She founded an organization for amateur track and field athletes, was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame, was the first woman to receive the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, and had the indoor track and a dorm hall named after her at Tennessee State. 

Wilma Rudolph's quote tells us that we can do anything we set our minds to. Rudolph was originally told she would never walk again, and she later became the fastest woman in the world. Dreams are just dreams until you work at them. Rudolph tells us that greatness is within each of us.