Wyomia Tyus facts for kids

Tyus in 1968
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	(1945-08-29) August 29, 1945 (age 79) Griffin, Georgia, United States
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	100 m, 200 m
Club	TSU Tigers, Nashville
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 yd – 10.3 (1965) 100 m – 11.08 (1968) 200 m – 23.08 (1968)
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1964 Tokyo 100 m Gold 1968 Mexico City 100 m Gold 1968 Mexico City 4 × 100 m relay Silver 1964 Tokyo 4 × 100 m relay Pan American Games Gold 1967 Winnipeg 200 m

Official Olympic

Wyomia Tyus (pronounced why-o-mi), born on August 29, 1945, is a famous American track and field athlete. She was a top sprinter. Wyomia made history by being the first person to win the Olympic 100-meter race twice in a row. Other famous sprinters like Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt have also achieved this since.

Early Life and Sports Beginnings

Wyomia grew up on a dairy farm in Griffin, Georgia. She was the youngest of four children and the only girl. Her father always encouraged her to play sports. In high school, Wyomia played basketball. She started her track career as a high jumper.

In 1960, she was invited to a summer track clinic at Tennessee State University. There, she switched to sprinting. That same year, her father passed away. Her track coach at Tennessee State, Ed Temple, became an important role model for her.

College and Olympic Success

Wyomia Tyus attended Tennessee State University. At just 19 years old, she competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In the qualifying races, she matched Wilma Rudolph's world record. This made her a favorite to win the final.

Winning Olympic Gold

In the 100-meter final, Wyomia competed against fellow American Edith McGuire. Wyomia won the race, beating McGuire by 0.2 seconds. This earned her a gold medal. At the same Olympics, she also won a silver medal with the 4 × 100-meter relay team.

More Victories and Records

After the 1964 Olympics, Wyomia won many national championships in sprinting. She also won a gold medal in the 200-meter race at the Pan American Games in 1967.

In 1968, she returned to the Olympics in Mexico City. She aimed to win the 100-meter race again. In the final, she set a new world record of 11.08 seconds. This made her the first person, male or female, to win the Olympic 100-meter title twice. Wyomia also ran in the 200-meter final, finishing sixth. She ran the last part of the 4 × 100-meter relay race. Her team set a new world record, earning her a third Olympic gold medal.

Film director Bud Greenspan captured a moment of Wyomia dancing behind her starting blocks before the Olympic final. She later explained she was doing the "Tighten Up" dance to stay relaxed.

Life After International Sports

Wyomia Tyus stopped competing in international sports after the 1968 Olympics. In 1973, she was invited to race in the 60-yard dash for the new International Track Association. In her first year back, she won eight of eighteen races. The next year, she won every race she entered, a total of twenty-two races. Wyomia continued to compete in the 60-yard dash until 1982.

Contributions and Recognition

After her running career, Wyomia Tyus became a coach at Beverly Hills High School. She was also a founding member of the Women's Sports Foundation. This organization helps support girls and women in sports.

Hall of Fame Inductions

Wyomia has received many honors for her achievements.

• In 1976, she was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 1980, she was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
• At the 1984 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, she was one of eleven athletes who carried the Olympic Flag.
• In 1985, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Lasting Legacy

In 1999, her hometown of Griffin, Georgia honored her. They unveiled the Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park. In 2018, she published her memoir, Tigerbelle : the Wyomia Tyus story. She wrote it with co-author Elizabeth Terzakis.

Personal Journey

Wyomia Tyus grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly white. She became aware of racial segregation at a young age. She had to take a long bus ride to school every day, even though there was a white school very close by. Because of racial divisions, Wyomia could not play with the white girls who lived nearby. The closest Black family lived almost a mile away. So, Wyomia spent most of her time playing sports with her brothers and the white boys in her neighborhood. As she got older, her father taught her that she could achieve anything. However, he also stressed that she would need to work hard to overcome racial challenges.

College and Mentorship

After high school, Wyomia was the first in her family to go to college. She attended Tennessee State University (TSU). There, she joined the "Tigerbelles" collegiate team. Wyomia began training with TSU coach Ed Temple. At first, her grades and study habits were not good. This almost stopped her from continuing her training and going to the 1964 Olympics. She credits Coach Temple's training with helping her succeed in sports, academics, and her professional life. He taught her about the extra effort Black athletes often needed to get positive recognition.

Family Life

In December 1968, Wyomia moved from Georgia to California with her boyfriend. She worked as a substitute teacher. In 1969, she married Art Simburg. She held several jobs before becoming a teacher in 1971. Wyomia left teaching within a year to stay home with her first child. Her first marriage ended in 1974. In 1978, she married Duane Tillman. They had a son together.

See also

In Spanish: Wyomia Tyus para niños