Brave Hearts

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Eye Care Foundation

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The Crippled Who Ran The fastest
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· The World Olympic Games were held in Italy's capital city of Rome in the year 1960. As the games were in progress in different stadium's and on different grounds, there was a sudden commotion accompanied by a loud applause on the venue where track events were being held. The commotion and applause were for Wilma Rudolf of the U.S. who had won a third gold in the running events in the same Olympics. She ran nine times and in all the nine races, she was the first to reach the finishing line. The entire sports world was amazed at her magnificent achievement. This twenty year old runner had overpowered some of the most outstanding participants representing various countries of the world who had sent their best athletes for each event, including the running competitions.
But there lies an interesting and yet a stunning tale behind the victory of this brave girl. The same Wilma who was today acclaimed as the fastest runner of the world, was not even able even to walk in her childhood. She left the precincts of her home for the first time to join her playmates when she was eight years old. Till then she was confined to her bed.
Wilma Rudolph's tale begins something like this. She was born into a poor family. Her father was twice married and she was his seventeenth child and a premature one. She had weighted only 2.04 kg. at birth, a tender and a weak child indeed. At the age of 4, she was afflicted with polio and her left
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