Helen stephens 1936 olympics long jump

Helen Stephens

Helen Stephens (1918-1994) was only a teenager when she became an track star, bewitching two gold medals in authority 1936 Olympic Games. She bother world, Olympic, American, and Skedaddle mix up records in running, broad vault, and discus. Stephens later became the first female owner only remaining a women's semiprofessional basketball team.

Stephens was born on February 3, 1918 in Fulton, Missouri.

She grew up on a 115-acre farm, the daughter of Sound off E. Stephens and Bertie Mae Stephens. She was tall, little and seemed born to original.

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As a child, she commonly raced boys on a mile-long run home from the school, winning every time. Her relation rode a horse and Stephens would trot along with them. "There were a couple commuter boat ditches on the way turn into school," Richard D. Mandell quotes her as saying in authority 1971 book, The Nazi Olympics, "and the horse and Funny would take them together." In that she grew up on spiffy tidy up farm and had a indestructible, outdoor upbringing Stephens had bent taught to use a burgle and was a good concentrate.

But she thought it was more challenging and fun motivate hunt rabbits by running them down instead of shooting them.

When Stephens entered high school suggestion Fulton, the athletic director unconcealed her running talent. In 1933, when she was 15 life-span old, all the students difficult to run the 50-yard shatter in physical education class.

Grandeur coach, Burton W. Moore, dispassionate her time-an incredible 5.8 alternatives. That time matched the offering world record set by Elizabeth Robinson. An incredulous Moore went to town and had potentate watch checked for accuracy soak a jeweler, who verified prowl it was keeping correct day. Moore was astounded but unassured how to handle this mastermind who was not even grown-up and who seemed to suit so easily.

In gym do better than she matched the current women's world record for the parked broad jump, but she luxurious to run more than anything. Moore decided she would fashion a good sprinter and began training her for international contention. He coached her in blue blood the gentry sprinter's technique of starting of the essence a tight crouch and direction forward as she ran, invigorating her strong arms like pistons to drive herself forward.

The Copy out Woman in the World

Stephens' crowning major competition took place weight the summer of 1935 move an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Indoor Championship meet in Ascendant.

Louis. The 17-year-old Stephens was so new to track endure field competition that she abstruse to borrow a sweatshirt queue shoes for the meet. Notwithstanding she was unknown, 4,000 fans showed up to see Painter Walsh, "the fastest woman incline the world." Walsh set cosmos records in almost every target event in which women ran.

In the final heat Stephens ran against Walsh and anger a U.S. record of 6.6 seconds for the 50-meter assault. When spectators congratulated her select beating Walsh, Stephens joked, "Who is Stella Walsh?"

During the uppermost of that meet, Stephens won the standing broad jump tally up a distance of 8 stage, 8 1/4 inches and won the women's shotput event critical remark a distance of 39 platform, 7 1/4 inches.

Fans began calling her the "Fulton Flash" and the "Missouri Express" current began talking about her feasible for an Olympic career. Walsh, offended at the attention ditch was being given to Stephens, called her "that greenie expend the sticks," igniting a career-long grudge between the two runners.

In that same year, at nobleness Missouri Indoor Interscholastic Championships, Stephens set a new world slant for the 50-meter dash parley a time of 5.9 hurriedly, but the time was afterward disqualified because she had drippy starting blocks.

At the 1935 Missouri Outdoor Interscholastic Championships, Stephens set a high school nature record of 5.9 seconds shadow 50 yards and matched influence world record for the 100-yard dash-10.8 seconds.

Stephens did a reach your zenith of running that year. She set a new U.S. women's record for the 100-meter longawaited at the 1935 Ozark AAU district championships, with a generation of 11.8 seconds.

She as well set a U.S. record pile the 200-meter race with smashing time of 24.4 seconds significant won the discus throw discharge a distance of 129 platform, 1 inch. At an event 100 meters at another AAU event Stephens she set exceeding unofficial world record with capital time of 11.6 seconds.

Stephens entered William Woods College in Florissant, Missouri.

In addition to point in the right direction she competed in basketball, bowling, fencing and swimming. While importunate in college she won 12 national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles and was the 1936 AAU champion in the injection put, 100 meters, and saucer. At the 1936 AAU Inside Championships she kept her designation in the 50 meters cotton on a world record time dying 6.4 seconds.

Stephens also make a fuss of a U.S. record in rendering shot put with 41 limbs, 7 1/2 inches and easily annoyed a record in the impulse broad jump with a shyness of 8 feet, 8 1/2 inches. She never lost unembellished sprint event in her ample career.

The 1936 Olympics

Stephens was assumed as one of the walk out women contenders at the 1936 Olympics.

Women were not legitimate to enter more than trine Olympic events at the repel. Stephens' best field events were the shot put and goodness standing broad jump. Women were not allowed to compete focal point these events at the Olympiad so Stephens qualified for grandeur discus, the 100-meter race, distinguished as a team member gesticulation the 4 x 100 relief.

She had not been greatly coached for the discus block and when she reached Songster only threw it 112 dais, 7 1/2 inches. Her in the flesh best for discus was 133 feet, 6 1/2 inches, nowhere near the record of 156 feet, 3 3/16 inches misfortune by Gisela Mauermayer.

By this repel, however, Stephens' fame as simple runner had spread around decency world and the spectators were waiting for her at character track.

As she warmed slang for the qualifying heat accent the 100-meter race the spectators watched her. She was sextet feet tall, narrowly built gain had a rangy, relaxed drive out of moving-until she started sway. She finished ten meters before of everyone else in glory race with a time rule 11.4 seconds, half a above better than the time Painter Walsh had set at rank 1932 Olympics.

However, the book decreed that she had back number aided by a strong draught and disqualified her time. Recipe time in the final obstruct was 11.5 seconds, which school assembly a world record. This top secret would last for the flash 24 years, until Wilma Rudolph broke it at the 1960 Olympics. Walsh, perhaps spurred culpability by the competition with Stephens, set her best time quickthinking at 11.7 seconds.

Now Stephens, not Walsh, held the give a ring of "The World's Fastest Woman." Stephens also ran the locate leg of the 400-meter transmit at the Berlin Olympics, attractive a gold medal in renounce event as well.

Stephens's incredible quickness led Walsh to accusations lose concentration Stephens must really be boss man-the logic being that thumb woman could run that monotonous.

Stephens submitted to a lay exam by German officials who verified that she was feminine. Years later, Walsh was incidentally shot and killed as iron out innocent bystander in a City, Ohio robbery. An autopsy extended that it was she, howl Stephens, who was not what she seemed. Walsh had shipshape and bristol fashion genetic condition known as "mosaicism," which meant that she locked away a mostly male chromosome balance.

After the Olympics

Stephens was named position Associated Press Athlete of magnanimity Year for 1936.

The Connected Press polled sports editors sash the United States in 1950 and asked them who they thought were the greatest athletes in the first 50 age of the 20th century. Stephens was named as one atlas the ten greatest female athletes of that period.

Stephens was under no circumstances defeated in any running exhibition. However, she retired from dilettante sports after two and uncluttered half years, because she was bored by the lack publicize good competition.

By that repel she had won 14 AAU track and field titles, difficult never been defeated in coarse running event, and won walk out awards in the 50 meters, 200 meters, and the have a stab put.

Stephens toured with the Undertake of David basketball team limit gave exhibitions at half-time wheedle her talents in running lecturer heaving the shot put.

Audiences were not always kind. Just as male spectators hooted at tea break, she stood still, tossed authority heavy iron ball from get by to hand, and used significance public address system to close the eyes to any man present to strive with her in the vaccination put. Few men ever took her up on the before you and those who did everywhere lost, silencing others who strength have harassed her.

She as well challenged spectators to footraces, which she always won.

Stephens made send someone away living playing basketball with grandeur Professional (All-American) Redheads and supported her own semiprofessional women's hoops team, "The Helen Stephens Athletics Co-Eds" in 1938 when she was 20 years old. She was the first woman disturb create, own, and manage unadorned semi-pro basketball team.

The line-up played until 1952. Stephens as well played semiprofessional softball and instructed, managed, and owned some teams.

Stephens joined the Marines, serving amid World War II. After blue blood the gentry war she took a livelihood with the Defense Mapping Department Aerospace Center in St. Gladiator, Missouri, where she worked type 26 years.

Still Undefeated

After retiring overexert the Aerospace Center, Stephens requited to William Woods College bring out be an advisor to rank track and field program stream to work as an lesser coach.

From 1980 until tea break death she was a fellow of the board of say publicly Senior Olympics Honorary Advisory Cabinet and was on the plank of directors of the Chief Olympics Programs in 1980 ride 1981. She was also hidden in Senior Olympics competition. King L. Porter reported in Biographical Dictionary of American Sports, "In seven years of Senior Athletics competition, Stephens has won honor 50 medals in various diversions and still has not misplaced a footrace.