From http://epaper.mypaper.sg/cnd/fvxen/fvxp/fvxpress.php?param=2011-06-09
Source Website: http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdwilma.htm
By GEOFF TAN, rnyp@sph.com.sg
PHOTO: Wilma Glodean Rudolph
http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdwilma.htm
PHOTO: Geoff Tan
The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings’ marketing division.
MY PAPER THURSDAY JUNE 09, 2011, PAGE A19, VIEWPOINTS
JOEL is a chap at the church that I attend who loves to watch movies, sing songs and tell stories.
He has a down-to-earth air of confidence about him, and he comes across as unpretentious.
When I last bumped into him, he told me about an American girl by the name of Wilma Glodean Rudolph.
PHOTO: Wilma Glodean Rudolph with her three Olympics gold medals
From biography by Patsy Stevens, a retired teacher, was written in 2001.
From biography by Patsy Stevens, a retired teacher, was written in 2001.
http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdwilma.htm
Born prematurely and weighing just over 2kg, she was afflicted by infantile paralysis as a result of the polio virus.
Her parents drove long distances to seek treatment for her twisted leg. At one stage, it was even feared that Rudolph would not ever be able to walk normally.
By the time she was 12 years old, she had also survived scarlet fever, whooping cough, chicken pox and measles.
However, she possessed a strong belief that she could overcome her physical disability and follow in her sister's footsteps to become a school basketball player.
In 1952, Rudolph, then 12, finally achieved her dream of overcoming her handicap and becoming like other children. She became a basketball star, thank to her unwavering determination and relentless training regime.
It was during that time that Rudolph was talent-spotted by Tennessee State University's track and field coach, Edward Temple, who saw the "natural athlete" in her and the potential of grooming her for success.
Rudolph went on to compete in two Olympic Games, and was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics.
She acomplished the feat at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome, with wins in the 100m, 200m, and the 4xl00m relay events.
She was hailed as the "fastest woman in history".
If you search for her name via the Internet, you would see how bent her leg had been before she was treated successfully, and better appreciate how her intense belief paved the way for what I would call a "miracle" of boundless proportions.
Most people in such a situation would be grateful just to be able to walk normally. But Rudolph had plans to do so much more! She was determined to run, run and run, and to go for gold.
The word "belief" is defined as the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true. It would have seemed that Rudolph never doubted herself as she strove to attain her lofty goals.
She showed us that, if we were to envision that something "impossible" could be achieved, there is every chance that we can go out and achieve it.
Thank you, Joel, for telling me this story. Because of you, more people out there will be encouraged.
By GEOFF TAN, rnyp@sph.com.sgThe writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings' marketing division.
HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn
Unprententious: 谦逊 - qiān xùn
Polio: 小儿麻痹症 - xiǎo ér má bì zhèng
Disability: 残疾 - cán jí
Unwavering: 坚定的 - jiān dìng de
Reference
- MY PAPER THURSDAY JUNE 09, 2011, PAGE A19, VIEWPOINTS
- http://epaper.mypaper.sg/cnd/fvxen/fvxp/fvxpress.php?param=2011-06-09
- http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdwilma.htm
- http://gardenofpraise.com/images/rudolph.jpg
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