Fire on the Track: Betty Robinson and the Triumph of the Early Olympic Women

A frantic dash to catch a train and an eagle-eyed track coach combined to create an unlikely pioneer: Betty Robinson, daughter of an Irish immigrant and an otherwise typical high school student, who had never even tried on a pair of track shoes. Under the guidance of the prescient Coach Price, the teenager ran to gold medal victory in the 1928 Olympics, the first time women were allowed to participate in track and field. Only three years later, Robinson survived a harrowing small plane crash. Her near-miraculous recovery and improbable return to Olympic glory are chronicled with rich historical context by Montillo (The Wilderness of Ruin), including gender issues in sports that are still being debated today. Robinson's life story and important role in breaking down barriers for women has already been optioned for film; this well-balanced biography and history of a groundbreaking female track star recalls a time and an athlete worth celebrating.