Fire On The Track: Betty Robinson And The Triumph Of The Early Olympic Women
by Roseanne Montillo /
2017 / English / EPUB
10.9 MB Download
The inspiring and irresistible true story of the women who broke
barriers and finish-line ribbons in pursuit of Olympic
Gold
The inspiring and irresistible true story of the women who broke
barriers and finish-line ribbons in pursuit of Olympic
Gold
When Betty Robinson assumed the starting position at the 1928
Olympic Games in Amsterdam, she was participating in what was only
her fourth-ever organized track meet. She crossed the finish line
as a gold medalist and the fastest woman in the world. This
improbable athletic phenom was an ordinary high school student,
discovered running for a train in rural Illinois mere months before
her Olympic debut. Amsterdam made her a star.
When Betty Robinson assumed the starting position at the 1928
Olympic Games in Amsterdam, she was participating in what was only
her fourth-ever organized track meet. She crossed the finish line
as a gold medalist and the fastest woman in the world. This
improbable athletic phenom was an ordinary high school student,
discovered running for a train in rural Illinois mere months before
her Olympic debut. Amsterdam made her a star.
But at the top of her game, her career (and life) almost came to a
tragic end when a plane she and her cousin were piloting crashed.
So dire was Betty's condition that she was taken to the local
morgue; only upon the undertaker's inspection was it determined she
was still breathing. Betty, once a natural runner who always
coasted to victory, soon found herself fighting to
walk.
But at the top of her game, her career (and life) almost came to a
tragic end when a plane she and her cousin were piloting crashed.
So dire was Betty's condition that she was taken to the local
morgue; only upon the undertaker's inspection was it determined she
was still breathing. Betty, once a natural runner who always
coasted to victory, soon found herself fighting to
walk.
While Betty was recovering, the other women of Track and Field were
given the chance to shine in the Los Angeles Games, building on
Betty's pioneering role as the first female Olympic champion in the
sport. These athletes became more visible and more accepted, as
stars like Babe Didrikson and Stella Walsh showed the world what
women could do. And—miraculously—through grit and countless hours
of training, Betty earned her way onto the 1936 Olympic team, again
locking her sights on gold as she and her American teammates went
up against the German favorites in Hitler's Berlin.
While Betty was recovering, the other women of Track and Field were
given the chance to shine in the Los Angeles Games, building on
Betty's pioneering role as the first female Olympic champion in the
sport. These athletes became more visible and more accepted, as
stars like Babe Didrikson and Stella Walsh showed the world what
women could do. And—miraculously—through grit and countless hours
of training, Betty earned her way onto the 1936 Olympic team, again
locking her sights on gold as she and her American teammates went
up against the German favorites in Hitler's Berlin.
Told in vivid detail with novelistic flair,
Told in vivid detail with novelistic flair,Fire on the
Track
Fire on the
Track is an unforgettable portrait of these trailblazers in
action.
is an unforgettable portrait of these trailblazers in
action.