Wilma Rudolf was a black child born to illiterate parents. When she was 2 she was afflicted with
polio and she lay in a corner of her hut cursing herself. But her mother thought otherwise. She used to tell her, “Wilma you will be able to walk, run and do anything like any other girl.” She repeated her suggestions day after day, month after month, for years.
When Wilma was nine, she told her mother,
“Mother I want to be the world champion.” Her mother was not surprised.
“In which field”, she asked her.
“In
running.”
Just imagine a child who cannot even stand, declaring to her mother that she wants to become the world champion in running. Such were her thoughts!
The very next day she threw away the braces that were kept to straighten her legs. With great difficulty, she tried to stand up but fell down. She tried again. But she fell down d again. Thousands of attempts followed!
It took her almost one year to stand up on her own. With another year’s efforts she could put a step forward then another and so on and she managed to slowly walk! Running was a natural step forward. Immediately, she arranged running competitions with her neighborhood children. But in all such competitions she was the last to finish. It hurt her a lot. She decided then and there to beat them and she started practicing fast. Within a year she ran ahead of all of them. Later, she went to a sports university and she started practice under the famous coach, Ed Temple.
In the 1960 Rome Olympics this polio affected girl won 3 gold medals: in 100m & 200m races and in 400m relay! She thus became the undisputed champion of the world.
Even a polio affected girl can go to the top of the world.