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 August 29, 1945) is a retired American track and field runner. She was a very fast sprinter. Wyomia was the first person ever to win the 100-meter race at the Olympic Games twice in a row. Other famous sprinters like Usain Bolt have done this since.

Early Life and Sports Beginnings

Wyomia grew up on a dairy farm. 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 also started in track and field as a high jumper. Later, she switched to sprinting. This happened after she went to a summer track camp in 1960. The camp was at Tennessee State University.

That same year, Wyomia's father passed away. Her track coach at Tennessee State, Ed Temple, became an important role model for her.

College and Olympic Success

Wyomia Tyus went to Tennessee State University. She competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics when she was only 19. In the first races, she tied the world record set by Wilma Rudolph. This made her a favorite to win the final race.

In the final, she raced against another American, Edith McGuire. Wyomia won the race, beating McGuire by a small amount. At the same Olympics, she also won a silver medal. This was for the 4 × 100-meter relay team.

Defending Her Olympic Title

After the 1964 Olympics, Wyomia won many national championships. She also won a gold medal in the 200-meter race at the Pan American Games. In 1968, she went back to the Olympics. Her goal was to win the 100-meter race again.

In the final, she set a new world record of 11.08 seconds. She became the first person, male or female, to win the Olympic 100 metres title twice. Wyomia also ran in the 200-meter final, finishing sixth. She ran the last part of the relay race for her team. They set a new world record and won her third gold medal.

A film director named Bud Greenspan filmed Wyomia. She was seen dancing behind her starting blocks before the Olympic final. She later said she was doing the "Tighten Up" dance. This helped her stay relaxed before the big race.

Wyomia stopped competing in international sports after the 1968 Olympics. In 1973, she was asked to race again. This was for the new International Track Association competitions. In her first year back, she won eight of eighteen races. The next year, she won every race she entered, which was twenty-two races. Wyomia continued to compete until 1982.

Life After Running

After her amazing running career, Wyomia Tyus became a coach. She coached at Beverly Hills High School. She also helped start the Women's Sports Foundation. This group supports women in sports.

Wyomia and her family appeared on the TV show Family Feud in 1980. They won a $5,000 prize!

Awards and Recognition

Wyomia Tyus has received many honors for her achievements:

• In 1976, she was added to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 1980, she was added to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
• At the 1984 Summer Olympics, she helped carry the Olympic Flag during the opening ceremony.
• In 1985, she was added to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

In 1999, her hometown of Griffin, Georgia honored her. They named the Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park after her. In 2018, she wrote a book about her life. It is called Tigerbelle : the Wyomia Tyus story.

Personal Journey

Wyomia grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly white. She learned about racial segregation at a young age. She had to take a long bus ride to school every day. This was even though there was a white school very close by. Because of racial differences, she could not play with the white girls nearby. Her father taught her that she could achieve anything. He also taught her that she would need to work very hard to overcome challenges.

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" track team. She trained with Coach Ed Temple. Coach Temple helped her a lot. He taught her how to succeed in sports and in life. He also helped her understand the challenges faced by black athletes.

In 1968, Wyomia moved to California. She worked as a substitute teacher. She later became a full-time teacher. Wyomia has two children.

See also

In Spanish: Wyomia Tyus para niños