Editor’s note: This is another in a series of stories on important women in American history, in celebration of March as National Women’s History Month. Information was provided by members of the Kaua‘i County Committee on the Status of Women.
Editor’s note: This is another in a series of stories on important women in American history, in celebration of March as National Women’s History Month. Information was provided by members of the Kaua‘i County Committee on the Status of Women. For more information, or to inquire about joining the committee, call Pat Hunter-Williams, 639-0888, or the Office of the Mayor, 241-6300.
By the time “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was 14, she was already determined to become “the best athlete who ever lived.”
And, during her lifetime, she came to be known as just that.
Didrikson taught herself to throw the javelin, and at the 1932 Olympics she won gold medals for the javelin throw and the 80-meter hurdles.
She set world records for women in the javelin throw, hurdles, and high-jump events.
But she didn’t stop there.
During the 1940s, Didrikson turned to golf, and did what no one had ever done before: she won seventeen golf tournaments in a row.
She was a winner in every sport she tried, and was named the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year six times.
Still today, “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias remains a model for athletes across America.