Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women’s Olympics

Lucille Ludy Godbold grew up skinny, tall, and athletic. In her ?nal year on the track team at Winthrop College in South Carolina, Ludy gave shot put a try and she made that iron ball sail with her long, skinny arms. When her coach took her to a meet in New York she quali?ed for the ?rst Women’s Olympic Games in 1922. Except she had no money to go.

Ludy’s college and classmates rallied around her and raised the money to send her to compete. She won the gold medal with 1 foot, 2.6 inches to spare. She’d done her friends, her school, the South, and the USA proud.

Hooray for Ludy!