Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. Dubbed “The Fastest Woman in History,” she became the first female athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children and suffered from pneumonia and scarlet fever when she was young. She contracted polio when she was five years old, and though she recovered, her left leg and foot were severely weakened. She would wear a leg brace for most of her childhood. Her family was determined to help her make a full recovery. So, her mother took her to Nashville every week for medical treatments and her family massaged her leg. By the time she was 12, Rudolph no longer needed the leg brace.