Mildred Ella Didrikson Zaharias from the United States was a successful American athlete in many sports including track and cross. She was awarded two gold medals for track and field in the 1932 Olympics. Later, she turned her attention to professional golf. She won 10 LPGA major titles. This article discusses Zaharias’ career and legacy. Learn about this extraordinary woman's life and career.
Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias
The athlete Mildred Ella "Babe," as she is more commonly known, excelled in a variety of sports throughout her life. She won two gold medals as a track and cross-country athlete in 1932. After that gold-medal season, she switched to golf. Her success at golf led her to winning ten major LPGA tournaments.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the most outstanding athletes of all times. She excelled in multiple sports and is considered to be one of the greatest ever. She won an Olympic gold medal in track and field and set a new world record. She was also a great athlete in baseball and basketball, and she dominated the golf circuit during the 1940s and 1950s. Babe challenged gender stereotypes and refused to behave in traditionally feminine ways. Her exceptional athletic abilities and determination demonstrated that women can participate in sports traditionally reserved for men.
Her career
Babe Didrikson Zaharias has been one of history's most prominent female athletes. She was a competitor in track and field, baseball, and golf. She is credited with a career that earned her two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics. Babe's remarkable career combined the three sports she loved the most. After hitting five home runs in her childhood baseball game, she was given the nickname Babe. She won more LPGA major championships than any other player, and was also named one of 20 greatest players.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias is a child of Norwegian immigrants. She was born in Port Arthur on 16 November 1917. Her parents were both skilled carpenters and skiers. After the war, her family settled down in Beaumont Texas. There, she excelled in all kinds of sports. Her career was so successful that the U.S. Postal Service issued an 18-cent stamp honoring her achievements. In 1983 she was inducted into U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Also, she received a Gussie Crawford lifetime achievement award.
Her life
Babe Didrikson Zaharias may be familiar to you if you have ever heard about her athletic career. She excelled in a number of sports and won two medals in track and cross country in 1932. Babe switched to professional golf when she left the track. She eventually won ten LPGA Major Championships. Learn more about her life here. Throughout her career, Babe Didrikson Zaharias won over $1 million in prize money, making her a very wealthy woman.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias should be known that she was born to poor parents and was raised in a white family. The Ku Klux Klan was a white supremacist group that used violence to control the town where the family lived. Babe grew up in this culture and adopted the American South culture, despite the prejudices of her race.
Her legacy
Babe Didrikson Zaharias has been hailed as one the greatest athletes of her generation. Her talents included basketball, track & field, and golf. Hannah and Ole Didrikson (Norwegian immigrants) were Hannah's parents. She was four years when her family moved to the inland after a storm destroyed their home.
She was a strong force in women’s sports during her lifetime. Although her greatest achievements were in track and field and golf, she was also an excellent diver and roller-skating competitor. She won a sewing contest at the 1931 Texas State Fair and was an outstanding player of gin rummy. Her legacy continues to be celebrated. Generations of athletes continue to learn from her achievements and to be more active.