Elizabeth Robinson (1911-1999) won the first Olympic gold medal for a women’s track and field event, set a world record at the age of 16, and just weeks before her next Olympic run, came back from the dead.
All month, we're talking about Olympians. Tune in to hear incredible stories of women who either were in the Olympics or likely should have been!
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard and Lindsey Kratochwill. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, and Sundus Hassan.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s Olympian has one of the best comeback stories of all time. She won the first Olympic gold medal for a women’s track and field event, set a world record at the age of 16, and, just weeks before her next Olympic run… she came back from the dead.
We’re talking about Elizabeth Robinson.
Elizabeth, or “Betty,” Robinson was born on August 23rd, 1911, in Riverdale, Illinois. Her career as a runner started while she was still in school, and only by chance. One day, Betty was running to catch a train to Chicago-- she jumped aboard just in time. Her speed impressed a fellow passenger, a biology teacher, and he got her a place training with the boys track and field team at his school.
Betty began running competitively to instant success. During her second ever track meet, she ran a world record time of 12.2 seconds in the 100 meter dash. She was just 16 years old. Oh, and, as an added bonus, she qualified for the Olympic track and field team.
Betty’s debut at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics marked the first time track and field events were open to women. She was one of five US women entered into the 100-meter dash, but she was the only one to advance to the final.
When it came time for the final race, Betty matched her world record time and took home the gold in the event. To this day, she’s still the youngest 100-meter champion in Olympic history.
At the same Olympics, Betty also won a silver medal in the 4x100 meter relay.
Betty returned to the US as a celebrity-- she met the likes of Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart. Chicago even hosted a parade with over 20,000 attendees in her honor.
Well on her way to stardom, Betty was in a prime position to enter the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. On June 28, 1931, she decided to take a day off to fly with her cousin in his biplane. The pair took off. But at an altitude of 400 feet, the plane suddenly flipped into a nosedive.
Onlookers found Betty and the pilot under the rubble of the wreckage. Betty appeared to be so badly injured, her rescuers took her straight to an undertaker.
The next morning, newspapers ran bleak headlines. Some said she’d never race again. Others announced her death prematurely. One even wrote Betty was in the hardest race of her life-- against the Grim Reaper.
Reports of Betty’s recovery said she spent seven months in a coma. In reality, she spent eleven weeks in and out of consciousness. She was in critical condition, with multiple injuries, and a shattered leg. Betty spent another six months in a wheelchair. Two years passed before she could walk again. Once healed, Betty’s injured leg was a half inch shorter than the other.
Betty had decidedly missed her chance at the 1932 Olympics. But the 1936 Games were just around the corner as her recovery came to an end. Although she was still unable to kneel into the starting crouch, Betty made the Olympic team. And at the 1936 Berlin Games, she and the women’s relay team brought home the gold medal.
Betty and the team returned as celebrated heroes. In a New York City ticker tape parade, they rode in the procession’s second car, just behind four-time gold medalist Jesse Owens.
After retiring, Betty became a timer and judge at track meets. She also traveled the country speaking on behalf of women’s athletic organizations. In 1939, she married Richard Schwartz. The couple had two children together.
In her 80s, Betty battled cancer and Alzheimer’s. She died in 1999, at age 87.
Despite her multiple gold medals, records, and titles, Betty’s story remains relatively unknown. She has never been inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame.
All month we’re talking about Olympians.
For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly.
Follow us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister, and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!