NASHVILLE, Tennessee - It was one of the most noteworthy races in Olympic history, and the coach didn’t see a step of it. Wilma Rudolph, the 20th of 22 children who had suffered from polio in her youth, sped past the competition to claim the gold medal in the women’s 100 meters at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome.
“I heard it, but I didn’t see it,” says Ed Temple, who coached Rudolph both at Tennessee State University and in the ’60 Olympics. “I was over in the warmup area working with some of the girls to get ready for the next event. “I heard the crowd go crazy and then somebody said, ‘Wilma won!’ I was so happy for her.”
That’s classic Ed Temple. He was so busy preparing a runner for the next race that he didn’t have time to stop and enjoy the fruits of his labor. Fifty-two years after that remarkable Olympic moment, Temple is getting his just due. He is being inducted to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
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