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Bright Lives English
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Wilma Rudolph: From "Never Walk Again" to the Fastest Woman in the World

Level A2 (Elementary) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/wilma-rudolph-fastest-woman/

A Match the words to their meanings

  1. weak (adjective)
  2. believe in (phrasal verb)
  3. practice (verb)
  4. win (verb)
  5. proud (adjective)
  6. brace (noun)
  7. medal (noun)
  8. celebrate (verb)
  1. feeling happy because you or someone you love did something good
  2. a round piece of metal you get for winning or doing well
  3. to think that someone can do something
  4. to do something again and again to get better
  5. to do something fun to show that a day or an event is special
  6. to be first in a race or a game (past: won)
  7. a piece of metal or plastic that holds part of the body in the right position
  8. not strong

B Complete the sentences from the story

weak · won · brace · celebrate · practiced · believed in · proud · medal

  1. She every day.
  2. Wilma wanted everyone to together.
  3. She had to wear a metal on her leg.
  4. She the race.
  5. After the illness, her leg was .
  6. Her family her.
  7. Her town was of her.
  8. She and her team won a bronze .

C Did you understand?

  1. What did the doctor say about Wilma?
    1. She will be a great runner
    2. She will never walk again
    3. She will be well in a week
    4. She must play basketball
  2. Wilma's family had a lot of money.True / False
  3. How often did her brothers and sisters rub her weak leg?
    1. Once a week
    2. Four times a day
    3. Every morning
    4. Twice a year
  4. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Wilma won three gold medals.True / False
  5. What was special about Wilma's parade in Clarksville?
    1. It was the biggest parade in the world
    2. It was on TV in Rome
    3. It was the first event in her town for Black and white people together
    4. It was only for runners

D Put the words in order

  1. not / does / weak / start / weak / mean / ending / A / a

E Your turn

Retell Wilma Rudolph's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.

Transcript

A doctor looked at a little girl and said, "She will never walk again."

Twenty years later, she was the fastest woman in the world.

This is the story of Wilma Rudolph.

Hello, and welcome to Bright Lives English. Real stories. Real English.

Today's level is A2.

In this story, listen for five new words.

Weak. Weak means not strong.

After the illness, her leg was weak.

Believe. When you believe in someone, you think they can do it.

Her family believed in her.

Practice. Practice means doing something again and again to get better.

She practiced every day.

Win. The past is won.

You win when you are first in a race or a game.

She won the race.

Proud. You feel proud when you or someone you love does something good.

Her town was proud of her.

Ready? Let's begin.

Wilma Rudolph was born in 1940 in Tennessee, in the United States.

Her family was very big.

She was the twentieth of twenty-two children.

Her family did not have much money.

Wilma was often sick as a small child.

Then she got polio.

Polio is a very serious illness.

After polio, her left leg was very weak.

She could not walk well, and she had to wear a metal brace on her leg.

A doctor said, "She will never walk again." But her mother did not agree.

Every week, for two years, Wilma and her mother took the bus to a hospital in Nashville.

The trip was long — about eighty kilometers each way.

At home, her brothers and sisters helped too.

They rubbed her weak leg four times a day.

Her family believed in her.

And slowly, Wilma began to believe in herself.

By the age of twelve, Wilma could walk without the brace.

Then she did something amazing.

She started to run!

In high school, Wilma played basketball.

She was very fast.

A coach named Ed Temple saw her and invited her to train as a runner.

Wilma practiced every day.

She practiced when she was tired.

She practiced when it was hot.

She practiced when it was hard.

At only sixteen, she went to the Olympic Games in Australia.

She and her team won a bronze medal.

Four years later, in 1960, the Olympic Games were in Rome, Italy.

Wilma ran the 100 meters — and she won.

She ran the 200 meters — and she won again.

Then she ran the relay with her team — and they won too.

Three gold medals!

She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in running at one Olympic Games.

People called her "the fastest woman in the world."

Her hometown, Clarksville, was very proud of her.

The town planned a big parade for her.

But at that time, Black people and white people were often kept apart in the American South.

Wilma wanted everyone to celebrate together.

And they did.

Her parade was the first event in her town for Black and white people together.

Later, Wilma became a teacher and a running coach.

She helped many young people believe in themselves.

Let's review our five words.

Her leg was weak.

Her family believed in her.

She practiced every day.

She won three gold medals.

And her town was proud of her.

Wilma's story teaches us something: a weak start does not mean a weak ending.

Want more practice?

Go to brightlivesenglish.com for slides, pictures and a quiz.

If you liked this story, please subscribe.

See you in the next true story!

Answer key

A. 1h 2c 3d 4f 5a 6g 7b 8e

B. 1 practiced · 2 celebrate · 3 brace · 4 won · 5 weak · 6 believed in · 7 proud · 8 medal

C. 1 b · 2 False · 3 b · 4 True · 5 c

D. 1 A weak start does not mean a weak ending.