Which track and field star overcame childhood polio to become one of the greatest athletes of her time?

Wilma Rudolph
Gail Devers
Florence Griffith Joyner
Jackie Robinson

The correct answer is A. Wilma Rudolph.

Wilma Rudolph was born in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee, on June 23, 1940. She was the 20th of 22 children. Rudolph was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. She contracted polio at the age of four, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. Rudolph underwent extensive physical therapy and eventually regained the use of her leg.

Rudolph attended Tennessee State University, where she was a star athlete. She won three gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, becoming the first American woman to do so. Rudolph was also a member of the United States women’s track and field team at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Rudolph was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1983. She died on November 12, 1994, at the age of 54.

B. Gail Devers is an American track and field athlete who specialized in the 100 meters and 110 meters hurdles. She won three Olympic gold medals, two in the 100 meters and one in the 110 meters hurdles. Devers was also a two-time world champion in the 100 meters.

C. Florence Griffith Joyner was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100 meters relay. She won three gold medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, setting world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters. Griffith Joyner died on September 21, 1998, at the age of 38.

D. Jackie Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

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