Episode 74 - Wilma Rudolph

Dead Ladies Show Podcast

In this episode we run off to New York to get a post-Olympic sports fix! Writer and editor Sheila Enright-- who is both a former track and field runner and co-host of Dead Ladies NYC--brings us the story of American gold medallist Wilma Rudolph.

Born into a family of 22 children in segregated Tennessee, Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with polio at a young age, and told she would never walk again. But her mother told her she would, and young Wilma decided not only would she walk, she would run! A skilled sprinter, she qualified for her first Olympics at the age of 16, bringing home a bronze medal as part of the relay team. She decided to go further, faster, and at the 1960 Olympics she set records and won 3 gold medals, being dubbed “The Fastest Woman on Earth.”

During and after her athletic career, Wilma Rudolph used her celebrity to further important causes, from desegregation to sports education for children.

Find out more about Wilma Rudolph on our episode notes here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2024/08/16/podcast-74-wilma-rudolph/

Hear our episode about Dutch gold medal runner Fanny Blankers-Koen here: https://deadladiesshow.com/2017/10/26/podcast-2-fanny-blankers-koen/

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Our upcoming show September 14th at 4pm at PodFest Berlin will have tickets available soon. Find out more about the event here: https://www.podfestberlin.com/

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Thanks to Molly O'Laughlin Kemper, Sheila Enright, Christopher Neil, and Lori Schwartz, general manager of the KGB Bar Red Room.

Our theme music is “Little Lily Swing” by Tri-Tachyon.

Drop us a line [e-mail] or find us on social media @deadladiesshow

Thanks for listening! We’ll be back with a new episode next month.

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The Dead Ladies Show is a series of entertaining and inspiring talks about women who achieved amazing things against all odds, presented live in Berlin and beyond. This podcast is based on that series. Because women's history is everyone's history.

The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire.

The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.