The Story of Alice Coachman - The First Black Woman to Win Olympic Gold

The Modern Olympic Games were first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. 1904 saw the first Black man, George Poage win an Olympic medal, while 1908 was the first time a Black man, John Taylor, would win an Olympic Gold medal. 

Women’s events in Track & Field were first introduced at the 1928 Games while 1936 was the first time an African American woman would have the chance to compete, with Tyide Pickett breaking that barrier

With both the 1940 and 1944 Olympic cancelled due to World War 2, it wasn’t until the London 1948 Games where we saw not only the first Black Woman win an Olympic medal, but also the first Black Woman to win an Olympic Gold. 

Alice Coachman, with a Gold medal in the high jump, was the pioneer who stood at the top the podium for the first time in Olympic history, opening the door and paving the way for the many who would follow in the years and decades after. 

 

Watch Full Alice Coachman Interview with Washington University of St Louis Here: http://repository.wustl.edu/concern/videos/b27740880 

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