Once Upon a Time in the Vest

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Vol. 4 No. 53 Alice Coachman RIP





Alice Coachman Davis,  the first black female Olympic champion passed away at the age of 90.  She was the champion in the high jump in the 1948 games in London.  There are a series of youtube interviews with Mrs. Coachman.  If you link to the one below, it will guide you to the others.   These are quite interesting, because she gives some very personal accounts of the coaching at the games.   She was harassed by the US women's coach for not working out the day before the high jump competition.  Nevertheless she stuck to her routine of taking a break the day before.  The US women were not having a good Olympics.  Only Mickey Patterson had a bronze in the 200  winning the only other medal that year for the US women. In the youtube interview, Alice recalls receiving a segregated welcome home after the Olympics in the Jim Crow South.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFL0B_P1HGA


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