| American sprinter who became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field; at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, she won the 100-m dash, setting a world record of 12.2 sec; after suffering severe injuries in a plane crash in 1931, she mounted a successful comeback, winning a gold medal in the 400-m relay at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin (b. Aug. 23, 1911, Riverdale, Ill.—d. May 18, 1999, Colorado). |
USA