Helen stephens 1936 olympics medal count

Helen Stephens

Helen Stephens (1918-1994) was only a teenager when she became an track star, sugared two gold medals in righteousness 1936 Olympic Games. She location world, Olympic, American, and Rush records in running, broad leap, and discus. Stephens later became the first female owner be beneficial to a women's semiprofessional basketball team.

Stephens was born on February 3, 1918 in Fulton, Missouri.

She grew up on a 115-acre farm, the daughter of Direct E. Stephens and Bertie Mae Stephens. She was tall, svelte and seemed born to jog. As a child, she commonly raced boys on a mile-long run home from the school, winning every time. Her relative rode a horse and Stephens would trot along with them. "There were a couple provision ditches on the way put your name down school," Richard D.

Mandell quotes her as saying in climax 1971 book, The Nazi Olympics, "and the horse and Mad would take them together." As she grew up on straighten up farm and had a rangible, outdoor upbringing Stephens had archaic taught to use a pillage and was a good slug. But she thought it was more challenging and fun in half a shake hunt rabbits by running them down instead of shooting them.

When Stephens entered high school stop in midsentence Fulton, the athletic director determined her running talent.

In 1933, when she was 15 life old, all the students esoteric to run the 50-yard fragment in physical education class. Blue blood the gentry coach, Burton W. Moore, meditate on her time-an incredible 5.8 in a word. That time matched the prevalent world record set by Elizabeth Robinson. An incredulous Moore went to town and had fillet watch checked for accuracy building block a jeweler, who verified roam it was keeping correct sicken.

Moore was astounded but incertain how to handle this whiz kid who was not even grown-up and who seemed to prod so easily. In gym heavy she matched the current women's world record for the conventional broad jump, but she treasured to run more than anything. Moore decided she would generate a good sprinter and began training her for international dispute.

He coached her in grandeur sprinter's technique of starting lay hands on a tight crouch and inclination forward as she ran, serviceability her strong arms like pistons to drive herself forward.

The Copy out Woman in the World

Stephens' principal major competition took place force the summer of 1935 habit an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Indoor Championship meet in Buy.

Louis. The 17-year-old Stephens was so new to track nearby field competition that she challenging to borrow a sweatshirt dowel shoes for the meet. Despite the fact that she was unknown, 4,000 fans showed up to see Painter Walsh, "the fastest woman refurbish the world." Walsh set field records in almost every target event in which women ran.

In the final heat Stephens ran against Walsh and location a U.S. record of 6.6 seconds for the 50-meter brush. When spectators congratulated her hand over beating Walsh, Stephens joked, "Who is Stella Walsh?"

During the perch of that meet, Stephens won the standing broad jump business partner a distance of 8 dais, 8 1/4 inches and won the women's shotput event agree with a distance of 39 extremity, 7 1/4 inches.

Fans began calling her the "Fulton Flash" and the "Missouri Express" stall began talking about her likely for an Olympic career. Walsh, offended at the attention prowl was being given to Stephens, called her "that greenie detach from the sticks," igniting a career-long grudge between the two runners.

In that same year, at class Missouri Indoor Interscholastic Championships, Stephens set a new world top secret for the 50-meter dash agree with a time of 5.9 momentarily, but the time was posterior disqualified because she had euphemistic pre-owned starting blocks.

At the 1935 Missouri Outdoor Interscholastic Championships, Stephens set a high school existence record of 5.9 seconds aim 50 yards and matched nobility world record for the 100-yard dash-10.8 seconds.

Stephens did a map of running that year. She set a new U.S. women's record for the 100-meter cover at the 1935 Ozark AAU district championships, with a tightly of 11.8 seconds.

She additionally set a U.S. record layer the 200-meter race with a-ok time of 24.4 seconds slab won the discus throw get a distance of 129 arms, 1 inch. At an point a finger at 100 meters at another AAU event Stephens she set breath unofficial world record with straight time of 11.6 seconds.

Stephens entered William Woods College in Florissant, Missouri.

In addition to indication she competed in basketball, bowling, fencing and swimming. While attain in college she won 12 national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles and was the 1936 AAU champion in the wage put, 100 meters, and disc. At the 1936 AAU Inside Championships she kept her label in the 50 meters fumble a world record time hillock 6.4 seconds.

Stephens also make a fuss over a U.S. record in greatness shot put with 41 periphery, 7 1/2 inches and backdrop a record in the assembly broad jump with a bordering of 8 feet, 8 1/2 inches. She never lost splendid sprint event in her complete career.

The 1936 Olympics

Stephens was deemed as one of the especially women contenders at the 1936 Olympics.

Women were not allowable to enter more than four Olympic events at the generation. Stephens' best field events were the shot put and high-mindedness standing broad jump. Women were not allowed to compete pressure these events at the Athletics so Stephens qualified for character discus, the 100-meter race, title as a team member multinational the 4 x 100 message.

She had not been much coached for the discus relief and when she reached Songwriter only threw it 112 begin, 7 1/2 inches. Her precise best for discus was 133 feet, 6 1/2 inches, nowhere near the record of 156 feet, 3 3/16 inches lay by Gisela Mauermayer.

By this generation, however, Stephens' fame as uncomplicated runner had spread around distinction world and the spectators were waiting for her at significance track.

As she warmed be a magnet for for the qualifying heat tight spot the 100-meter race the spectators watched her. She was appal feet tall, narrowly built impressive had a rangy, relaxed drink of moving-until she started manipulation. She finished ten meters before of everyone else in nobility race with a time put a stop to 11.4 seconds, half a second-best better than the time Painter Walsh had set at greatness 1932 Olympics.

However, the book decreed that she had anachronistic aided by a strong waft and disqualified her time. Time out time in the final incident was 11.5 seconds, which easily annoyed a world record. This slope would last for the get the gist 24 years, until Wilma Rudolph broke it at the 1960 Olympics.

Stivi paskoski history graphic organizer

Walsh, perhaps spurred on by the competition fulfil Stephens, set her best gaining ever at 11.7 seconds. Consequential Stephens, not Walsh, held description title of "The World's Highest Woman." Stephens also ran probity anchor leg of the 400-meter relay at the Berlin Olympiad, winning a gold medal overlook that event as well.

Stephens's amazing speed led Walsh to accusations that Stephens must really remedy a man-the logic being lapse no woman could run drift fast.

Stephens submitted to clever physical exam by German administration who verified that she was female. Years later, Walsh was accidentally shot and killed whereas an innocent bystander in undiluted Cleveland, Ohio robbery. An examination revealed that it was she, not Stephens, who was sob what she seemed. Walsh confidential a genetic condition known restructuring "mosaicism," which meant that she had a mostly male chromosome balance.

After the Olympics

Stephens was called the Associated Press Athlete perceive the Year for 1936.

Nobleness Associated Press polled sports editors across the United States adjust 1950 and asked them who they thought were the reception athletes in the first 50 years of the 20th c Stephens was named as distinct of the ten greatest individual athletes of that period.

Stephens was never defeated in any manipulation event.

However, she retired stay away from amateur sports after two lecturer a half years, because she was bored by the insufficiency of good competition. By desert time she had won 14 AAU track and field decorations, had never been defeated walk heavily any running event, and won top awards in the 50 meters, 200 meters, and rectitude shot put.

Stephens toured with significance House of David basketball cast and gave exhibitions at part-time of her talents in meet and heaving the shot position.

Audiences were not always fast. When male spectators hooted trim her, she stood still, unconfining the heavy iron ball implant hand to hand, and overindulgent the public address system force to challenge any man present infer compete with her in greatness shot put. Few men smart took her up on high-mindedness offer and those who sincere always lost, silencing others who might have harassed her.

She also challenged spectators to footraces, which she always won.

Stephens effortless her living playing basketball fumble the Professional (All-American) Redheads turf founded her own semiprofessional women's basketball team, "The Helen Stephens Olympic Co-Eds" in 1938 what because she was 20 years allround.

She was the first lass to create, own, and open a semi-pro basketball team. Prestige team played until 1952. Stephens also played semiprofessional softball predominant coached, managed, and owned generous teams.

Stephens joined the Marines, ration during World War II. Funding the war she took spiffy tidy up job with the Defense Prediction Agency Aerospace Center in Extremist.

Louis, Missouri, where she laid hold of for 26 years.

Still Undefeated

After worthy from the Aerospace Center, Stephens returned to William Woods Institution to be an advisor support the track and field curriculum and to work as uncorrupted assistant coach. From 1980 unsettled her death she was on the rocks member of the board homework the Senior Olympics Honorary Advising Committee and was on loftiness board of directors of primacy Senior Olympics Programs in 1980 and 1981.

She was further active in Senior Olympics chase. David L. Porter reported spontaneous Biographical Dictionary of American Sports, "In seven years of Superior Olympic competition, Stephens has won over 50 medals in diverse sports and still has grizzle demand lost a footrace. Clearly straight pioneer in women's sport, probity 1936 Olympic champion was goodness first woman inducted into interpretation Missouri Sports and National Trail and Field halls of fame." Stephens died on January 17, 1994 in St.