Betty Robinson

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Lore & Background

Betty Robinson ran her first official race on March 30, 1928, at age 16, at an indoor meet where she finished second to Helen Filkey, the US record holder at 100 m, in the 60-yard dash. At her next race on June 2, outdoors at 100 meters, she beat Filkey and equaled the world record, though her time was not recognized because it was deemed wind-aided. At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, she was the only female US athlete to qualify for the 100 m final. She won, equaling the world record of 12.2 seconds. Six decades later, she recalled: 'I can remember breaking the tape, but I wasn't sure that I'd won. It was so close. But my friends in the stands jumped over the railing and came down and put their arms around me, and then I knew I'd won. Then, when they raised the flag, I cried.' Chicago Tribune reporter William L Shirer wrote that 'an unheralded, pretty, blue-eyed blonde young woman from Chicago became the darling of the spectators when she flew down the cinder path, her golden locks flying, to win'. On June 28, 1931, Robinson was involved in a plane crash and severely injured. Initial reports had her being discovered unconscious in the wreckage and wrongly thought dead by her rescuer; he took her to Oak Forest infirmary, locally known as the 'Poor Farm', because he knew the undertaker. Doctors determined she had suffered severe multiple injuries and she would never race again. It was another six months before she could get out of a wheelchair, and two years before she could walk normally again. She missed the 1932 Summer Olympics. Still unable to kneel for a normal 100 m start due to the fractures and surgeries on her left leg, Robinson was a part of the US team of 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The US team was running behind the heavily favored Germans, but the Germans dropped their baton. Robinson took the lead and handed off the baton to Helen Stephens, resulting in her second Olympic gold medal.

Reader's Guide

Betty Robinson's significance lies in her role as the first Olympic women's 100 m champion, a milestone for women's athletics at a time when the inclusion of women's events was heavily disputed among officials. Her victory at age 16 made her the youngest Olympic 100 m gold medalist, a record that still stands. Her career is also remarkable for her comeback after a near-fatal plane crash on June 28, 1931, which left her unable to walk normally for two years. Despite being told she would never race again, she returned to win a second Olympic gold in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. After retiring, she remained involved in athletics as an official. She worked in a hardware store for many years. In 1977, she was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 1996, she carried the Olympic Torch for the Atlanta Olympic Games. She married and had two children, residing in Glencoe, Illinois. She died at age 87, suffering from cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Did You Know?

• Betty Robinson ran her first official race on March 30, 1928, at age 16, finishing second in the 60-yard dash.
• At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, she was the only female US athlete to qualify for the 100 m final.
• After a plane crash on June 28, 1931, her rescuer initially thought she was dead and took her to a local infirmary because he knew the undertaker.
• She spent six months in a wheelchair and two years learning to walk normally after the crash.
• At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the US 4 × 100 m relay team won gold after the heavily favored Germans dropped their baton.