Wilma Rudolph had polio when she was six years old. Polio is a virus that can cause paralysis. Now we have a vaccine for polio but that wasn’t invented yet when Wilma was little. The polio did not paralyze Wilma, but it did leave one leg crooked and Wilma had to wear a brace to help her walk.
When Wilma was nine she took the brace off and when she was eleven she started to play sports in school. Eventually, Wilma won gold medals at the Olympics as a runner. For the next two weeks you can watch the stories of Olympic athletes at the 2010 Vancourver Winter Olympic games. Lots of them will have inspirational stories too. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to compete at the Olympic Level.
Take a look at this great video of Wilma talking about her own life and her experiences at the Olympics.
Have you ever heard of Indiana’s own Olympian Oscar Robertson? In 1955 Oscar when to Crispus Attucks High School. Oscar’s team won the Indiana State Championship, becoming the first all-black school in the nation to win a state title. Robertson led Crispus Attucks to another championship in 1956. Oscar was so good he played in College and went on to win a gold medal with the US Basketball team at the 1960 Olympic Games.
- Oscar Robertson The Big O
- ESPN: The Forgotten Hoosiers
- The Indy Star: Champions for Change
- NBS Encyclopedia: Oscar Robertson
- Basketball Hall of Fame: Oscar Robertson
- Hoopedia: Crispus Attucks
If you are following the Vancouver Winter Olympics this month – try out some of these sites:
- Scholastic: Get Ready for the Games
- Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Official Website
- Olympic Team USA Official Website
- IMCPL Info Guide for Kids: Olympics
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