美国名人田径运动员奥运冠军威尔玛·鲁道夫.docx

美国名人田径运动员，奥运冠军威尔玛鲁道夫WilmaRudolph,1940-1994:'TheFastestWomanintheWorld'playstopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:25repeatByErinBraswell2007-10-20VOICEONE:mSteveEmber.VOICETWO:AndmBarbaraKleinwithPEOPLEINAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutWilmaRudolph,thefirstAmericanwomantowinthreegoldmedalsinoneOlympics.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Theycalledher"theBlackPearl/'"theBlackGazelle"and"thefastestwomanintheworld."Innineteensixty,WilmaRudolphbecamethefirstAmericanwomantowinthreegoldmedalsinoneOlympics.ShewasanextraordinaryAmericanathlete.Shealsodidalottohelpyoungathletessucceed.WilmaRudolphwasborninnineteenforty,inSaintBethlehem,Tennessee.Shewasborntooearlyandonlyweighedtwokilograms.Shehadmanyillnesseswhenshewasveryyoung,includingpneumoniaandscarletfever.Shealsohadpolio,whichdamagedherleftleg.Whenshewassixyearsold,shebegantowearmetallegbracesbecauseshecouldnotusethatleg.VOICETWO:WilmaRudolphwasbornintoaverylarge,poor;African-Americanfamily.Shewasthetwentiethoftwenty-twochildren.Sinceshewassickmostofthetime,herbrothersandsistersallhelpedtotakecareofher.Theytookturnsrubbinghercrippledlegeverynight.Theyalsomadesureshedidnottrytotakeoffherlegbraces.Everyweek,Wilma'smotherdrovehertoaspecialdoctoreightykilometersaway.Here,shegotphysicaltreatmentstohelphealherleg.Shelatersaid:"MydoctorstoldmeIwouldneverwalkagain.MymothertoldmeIwould.Ibelievedmymother."VOICEONE:Soon,herfamily'sattentionandcareshowedresults.Bythetimeshewasnineyearsold,shenolongerneededherlegbraces.Wilmawasveryhappy,becauseshecouldnowrunandplaylikeotherchildren.Whenshewaselevenyearsold,herbrotherssetupabasketballhoopinthebackyard.Afterthat,sheplayedbasketballeveryday.Asateenager;Wilmajoinedthegirl'sbasketballteamatBurtHighSchool.C.C.Graywasthecoachwhosupervisedtheteam.Hegaveherthenickname"Skeeter."Shedidverywellinhighschoolbasketball.Sheoncescoredforty-ninepointsinonegame,whichbroketheTennesseestaterecord.ManypeoplenotedthatWilmawasaverygoodbasketballplayerandaverygoodathlete.OneofthesepeoplewasEdTemple,whocoachedthetrackteamofrunnersatTennesseeStateUniversity.EdTempleaskedC.C.Graytoorganizeagirl'strackteamatthehighschool.HethoughtWilmaRudolphwouldmakeaverygoodrunner.Shedidverywellonthenewtrackteam.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:WilmaRudolphwenttoherfirstOlympicGameswhenshewassixteenyearsoldandstillinhighschool.Shecompetedinthenineteenfifty-sixgamesinMelbourne,Australia.ShewastheyoungestmemberoftheUnitedStatesteam.Shewonabronzemedal,orthirdplacezinthesprintrelayevent.Innineteenfifty-seven,WilmaRudolphstartedTennesseeStateUniversity,whereshejoinedthetrackteam.Thecoach,EdTemple,workedveryhardforthegirlsontheteam.Hedrovethemtotrackcompetitionsandmadeimprovementstotherunningtrackwithhisownmoney.However,hewasnotaneasycoach.Forexample,hewouldmakethemembersoftheteamrunoneextratimearoundthetrackforeveryminutetheywerelatetopractice.WilmaRudolphtrainedhardwhileincollege.Shedidverywellathertrackcompetitionsagainstteamsfromothercolleges.Innineteensixty;shesettheworldrecordforthefastesttimeinthetwothousandmeterevent.Shesaid:"Iranandranandraneveryday,andIacquiredthissenseofdetermination,thissenseofspiritthatIwouldnever,nevergiveup,nomatterwhatelsehappened."VOICEONE:Thatsameyear,WilmaRudolphwenttotheOlympicsagain,thistimeinRome,Italy.Shewontwogoldmedals-firstplace-intheonehundredmeterandthetwohundredmeterraces.ShesetanewOlympicrecordoftwenty-threepointtwosecondsforthetwohundredmeterdash.Herteamalsowonthegoldmedalinthefourhundredmetersprintrelayevent,settingaworldrecordofforty-fourpointfiveseconds.ThesethreegoldmedalsmadeheroneofthemostpopularathletesattheRomegames.Thesevictoriesmadepeoplecallherthe"world'sfastestwoman."(SOUND)VOICETWO:WilmaRudolphreceivedalotofattentionfromthepressandthepublic,butshedidnotforgetherteammates.Shesaidthatherfavoriteeventwastherelay,becauseshecouldsharethevictorywithherteammatesMarthaHudson,LucindaWilliamsandBarbaraJones.AllfourwomenwerefromTennesseeStateUniversity.TheAssociatedPressnamedRudolphtheU.S.FemaleAthleteoftheyear.Shealsoappearedontelevisionmanytimes.SportsfansintheUnitedStatesandallovertheworldlovedandrespectedher.Shesaid:"Thefeelingofaccomplishmentwelledupinsideofme,threeOlympicgoldmedals.Iknewthatwassomethingnobodycouldevertakeawayfromme,ever."(MUSIC)VOICEONE:WilmaRudolphwasafineexampleformanypeopleinsideandoutsidetheworldofsports.Shesupportedthecivilrightsmovement-thestruggleforequalitybetweenwhiteandblackpeople.WhenshecamehomefromtheOlympics,shetoldthegovernorOfTennesseethatshewouldnotattendacelebrationwherewhiteandblackpeoplewereseparated.Asaresult,herhomecomingparadeanddinnerwerethefirsteventsinherhometownofClarksvillethatwhitepeopleandblackpeoplewereabletoattendtogether.Aftersheretiredfromsports,WilmaRudolphcompletedhereducationatTennesseeStateUniversity.Shegotherbachelor'sdegreeinelementaryeducationandbecameateacher.ShereturnedtocoachthetrackteamatBurtHighSchool.Shealsoworkedasacommentatorforwomen'strackcompetitionsonnationaltelevision.Innineteensixty-threeshemarriedherhighschoolboyfriendRobertEldridge.Theyhadfourchildren,butlaterendedtheirmarriage.WilmaRudolphwonmanyimportantathleticawards.ShewasvotedintotheBlackAthlete'sHallofFameandtheUnitedStatesOlympicHallofFame.ShewasalsovotedintotheNationalTrackandFieldHallofFame.Innineteenseventy-seven,shewroteabookaboutherlifecalled"Wilma."Shewroteaboutherchildhoodproblemsandherathleticsuccesses.NBClatermadethebookintoamoviefortelevision.VOICETWO:RudolphsaidhergreatestsuccesswascreatingtheWilmaRudolphFoundationinnineteeneighty-one.Thisorganizationhelpedchildreninlocalcommunitiestobecomeathletes.Shealwayswantedtohelpyoungathletesrecognizehowmuchtheycouldsucceedintheirlives.Shesaid:"Thetriumphcan'tbehadwithoutthestruggle.AndIknowwhatstruggleis.Ihavespentalifetimetryingtosharewhatithasmeanttobeawomanfirstintheworldofsportssothatotheryoungwomenhaveachancetoreachtheirdreams."Rudolphalsoinfluencedmanyathletes.OneofthemwasanotherAfricanAmericanrunner;FlorenceGriffithJoyner.Innineteeneighty-eight,GriffithJoynerbecamethesecondAmericanwomantowinthreegoldmedalsinoneOlympics.ShewentontowinatotalofsixOlympicmedals.WilmaRudolphwasveryhappytoseeotherAfricanAmericanfemaleathletessucceed.Shesaid:"Ithoughtdnevergettoseethat.FlorenceGriffithJoyner-everytimesheranzIran."(MUSIC)VOICEONE:WilmaRudolphdiedofbraincancerinnineteenninety-fourinNashville,Tennessee.Shewasfifty-fouryearsold.Sheinfluencedathletes,AfricanAmericansandwomenaroundtheworld.Shewasanimportantexampleofhowanyonecanovercomebarriersandmaketheirdreamscometrue.HernineteensixtyOlympicsteammate,BillMulliken,said:"Shewasbeautiful;shewasnice,andshewasthebest."(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ThisprogramwaswrittenbyErinBraswellandproducedbyLawanDavis.mBarbaraKlein.VOICEONE:AndmSteveEmber.YoucanlearnmoreaboutfamousAmericansatourWebsite,WWW.51VOA.COM.JoinusagainnextweekforPEOPLEINAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.