Prior to the 1948 Summer Olympics, no American woman had taken the gold medal in any of the competitions. Alice Coachman changed that by soaring 5 feet, 6 1/8 inches’ record in the high jump at the London Games. She made it into the history books as the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Coachman won the Olympic high jump at the age of 24. “I saw it on the board, ‘A. Coachman, U.S.A., Number One,’” she told NPR. “I went on, stood up there, and they started playing the national anthem. It was wonderful to hear.”
Following Coachman’s success, the United States saw African-American women such as Wilma Rudolph, Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee take over the U.S. track and field program and dominate the sport.
“I think I opened the gate for all of them,” she said in an interview with The Telegraph. “Whether they think that or not, they should be grateful to someone in the black race who was able to do these things.”
Here are five things you should know about the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, despite nursing a back injury and the first African American to earn an endorsement deal:
Anthony Madu, the 14-year-old Nigerian dancer from Lagos who gained admission to a prestigious ballet…
Actor-host Wayne Brady recently opened up about his early financial struggles in his now thriving…
Mia Arianna, also known as @mia.ariannaa on TikTok, helped her son become an honorary team…
Alvin Gauthier, a Grand Prairie USPS postman, recently went above and beyond to brighten a…
Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed is the first female commander of the air force and…
Benjamin E. Mays High School brought together its 272 senior class members for a meeting…
Afrika Owes' emotional response to learning that she had passed the bar exam on her…
A 49-year-old New York attorney was on April 26 sentenced to 10 years in federal…
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday, pop legend Cher opened up…
Authorities in Florida said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 14-year-old…
The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…
Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…
Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…
Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…
A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…