www.AlaskaAlliance.com 41 4. She could not walk without braces until she was 11. At Burt High School in Clarksville, Tenn., Rudolph began her forays into the world of sport and starred in basketball as well as track. She was noticed by Ed Temple, the track and field coach at Tennessee State, who honed her skills enough to bring her to the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In those Games, Rudolph was eliminated in the 200 heats but took home a bronze medal as a member of the U.S. 400-meter relay team. After enrolling at Tennessee State and developing as a member of Temple’s highly regarded Tigerbelles, she was ready for Rome. Rudolph won the 100 meters in a wind-aided 11.00 seconds, then breezed to a 4-yard victory in the 200 and anchored the 400-meter relay to the gold. “I love what the Olympics stand for,” says Rudolph, who adds she wouldn’t miss the 1984 Los Angeles Games for the world. “For a while they were my whole life, and I guess they’ll always be a part of me.” She is proud of the obstacles she overcame as a youth, and proud that she can share her knowledge with the people of Prudhoe Bay. “I just remember my playmates always saying, ‘We don’t want to play with her. We don’t want her on our team.’ So all of my young life I would say to myself, ‘One day I’m going to be somebody very special,’ ” Rudolph says.
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