Wyomia Tyus

Wyomia Tyus was a very fast runner.

She grew up on a dairy farm. Her father told her she could do anything. She learned to run fast at a college.

She won gold medals in the big Olympic games. She was the first person to win two gold medals in a row. This was a huge feat.

Tyus liked to dance to stay loose. She even won many races in a new group of sports. She was a great athlete.

She later became a teacher and a coach. People still honor her today. Do you want to run fast like her?

Wyomia Tyus was a very fast runner.

She grew up on a dairy farm in Georgia. Her father told her she could do anything. She began her track career as a high jumper. Later, she became a sprinter. She went to Tennessee State University for college. There, she joined the Tigerbelles track team. Her coach was Ed Temple. He helped her succeed in sports and school.

Tyus was a star in the Olympic Games. In 1964, she won a gold medal in the 100 m sprint. She also won a silver medal with her relay team. In 1968, she won gold again in the 100 m. She set a new world record of 11.08 seconds. She was the first person to win this title twice in a row. She also won a third gold medal in the relay race.

Before her big race, Tyus liked to dance. She did a dance called "Tighten Up" to stay loose. She later became a teacher and a coach. Many groups have added her to their halls of fame. Her hometown even named a park after her.

Wyomia Tyus is a famous American sprinter. She is a pioneer in track and field. Tyus was the first person to win the 100 m Olympic title twice in a row. This is a very hard feat to do. Other great runners like Usain Bolt have done it later. She grew up on a dairy farm in Georgia. Her father encouraged her to try many different sports. She started as a high jumper before she became a sprinter. This transition happened after a track clinic in 1960.

Training for big races takes a lot of hard work. Tyus went to Tennessee State University for college. She joined the Tigerbelles, which was a famous track team. Her coach was Ed Temple. He taught her about the struggles of being a Black athlete. He showed her how to work hard for respect. Tyus had to balance her classes and her running. Sometimes her grades were not very good. However, her training helped her succeed in many parts of life. She even used dance to help her body stay ready.

Tyus made history during the Olympic Games. She first competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics at age 19. She won a gold medal in the 100 m sprint. She beat her rival, Edith McGuire, by 0.2 seconds. Tyus also won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay. In 1968, she returned to the Olympics to defend her title. She ran the 100 m in 11.08 seconds. This was a new world record. She became the first person to hold that title twice.

Her career included many more wins and honors. In 1968, she won a third gold medal in the relay. She also set a world record in that race. Later, she competed in the International Track Association. In 1974, she won twenty-two races in the 60-yard dash. Tyus was inducted into many special groups. She joined the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. She joined the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980. She also joined the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985.

Tyus has done many things after her running days. She worked as a substitute teacher and a coach. She helped start the Women's Sports Foundation. In 1984, she carried the Olympic Flag during the Opening Ceremony. Her hometown of Griffin, Georgia, honored her in 1999. They opened the Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park. In 2018, she wrote a book called Tigerbelle. It tells the story of her life. Even a racing horse was named after her in 2010.

Wyomia Tyus is a legendary American track and field sprinter. She is most famous for being a pioneer in Olympic history. Tyus was the first person to ever retain the Olympic title in the 100 m sprint. This means she won the gold medal in the same race at two different Olympic Games. Only a few other athletes have ever matched this feat. These include famous runners like Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Her speed and determination made her a central figure in sports history.

Tyus grew up on a dairy farm in Georgia as the youngest of four children. She was the only girl in her family. Her father encouraged her to participate in various sports. She began her athletic journey as a high jumper and played basketball in high school. Her path changed in 1960 when she attended a summer track clinic at Tennessee State University. This clinic helped her transition into sprinting. Tragically, her father passed away in that same year. This left her to look to her future track coach, Ed Temple, as a primary male role model.

Her training at Tennessee State University was both challenging and transformative. Tyus became a member of the Tigerbelles, a renowned collegiate track team. She trained under Coach Ed Temple, who provided vital guidance. Temple helped her navigate the specific struggles of being a Black athlete. He taught her that she would have to work harder to earn positive recognition. During her college years, Tyus struggled to balance her academics with her sport. Poor grades and a lack of interest in her classes nearly prevented her from competing in the Olympics. However, she overcame these hurdles to reach the highest level of competition.

Tyus achieved massive success during the 1964 Summer Olympics. At only 19 years old, she competed in the 100 m heats. During these heats, she equaled the world record held by Wilma Rudolph. This performance made her a favorite for the final race. In the final, she faced her main rival, Edith McGuire. Tyus won the gold medal by a margin of 0.2 seconds. She also earned a silver medal as part of the 4 × 100 m relay team. These victories established her as a world-class sprinter.

In 1968, Tyus returned to the Olympics to defend her 100 m title. She succeeded in a spectacular way. She set a new world record with a time of 11.08 seconds. This achievement made her the first person, male or female, to retain the Olympic 100 metres title. She also competed in the 200 m final, where she finished in sixth place. Additionally, she ran the final leg for the relay team. Her performance helped that team set a new world record and win her third gold medal.

After the 1968 Olympics, Tyus retired from international sports but continued to compete elsewhere. In 1973, she joined the International Track Association to run the 60-yard dash. Her return was incredibly successful. In her first year back, she won eight out of eighteen events. The following year, she showed even more dominance. She won every single race she entered, totaling twenty-two victories. She continued to compete in the 60-yard dash until 1982. Her consistency proved her lasting skill in short-distance sprinting.

Tyus has received many prestigious honors throughout her life. She was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1980, she joined the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985. Her hometown of Griffin, Georgia, honored her in 1999 by opening the Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park. Even the world of horse racing recognized her name. In 2010, a two-year-old filly was named after her for the Breeder's World Cup.

Beyond her athletic achievements, Tyus has contributed significantly to society. She was a founding member of the Women's Sports Foundation. She also worked as a coach at Beverly Hills High School. In 1984, she was chosen as one of eleven athletes to carry the Olympic Flag during the Opening Ceremony. In 2018, she shared her life story in a memoir titled "Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story." This book is part of a special series by Dave Zirin. Her life remains a powerful example of perseverance and excellence.