Unbeatable Betty: Betty Robinson, the First Female Olympic Track & Field Gold Medalist

Betty shows how to persevere when you have a dream, and not to let anything get in your way, even an injury. Betty knew she was a runner, but in 1928 people believed women were too weak to run. Back then, women had not had the right to vote and many still did not think women were as capable as men, but Coach Charles Price knew a runner when he saw one and he wanted to coach Betty, even if she had to run on the men’s team. During every race, Betty pumped her legs and was determined to make it her track. She soon headed for the Olympics where she scored a gold medal for the U.S.A. After the Olympics almost a tragedy happened and Betty was severely injured and in a wheelchair, no one thought she would be able to walk or even run again. Betty did not let anyone stop her, and she learned how to walk and run again. She persevered everyday through the pain and grew stronger. This is a great story to show that no matter what anyone else thinks, that you can do hard things, you can overcome any obstacle if you put your mind to it. I loved the brightly-colored pictures.