Author: Astrid Kramer

As a child, Wilma Rudolph wore a metal leg brace after contracting polio. At twenty, she won three Olympic gold medals in Rome and became one of the most famous athletes in the world. But when she returned home to segregated Tennessee, her next challenge had nothing to do with running.

At mile sixty of the Cocodona 250, Rachel Entrekin stopped thinking about who was supposed to win. She looked at her own résumé instead and asked herself a different question: Why can’t it be me? Two days later, she crossed the finish line first, becoming the first woman ever to win the race overall and setting a new course record.

Most people remember Florence Griffith-Joyner for her long fingernails, colourful racing suits and unmistakable style. Fewer remember that she remains the fastest woman in history, holding both the 100-metre and 200-metre world records nearly four decades later. This chapter explores how one of the greatest athletes of all time became an icon whose image often overshadowed her extraordinary achievements.