Wonder Woman of the Week: Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Babe Didrikson is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. The multi-sport Olympian set an early standard for women at the Games- giving international audiences a desire to see the expansion of women's sports across the world. Didrikson began her multi-sport career as a track and field athlete in the Amateur Athletic Union shortly before joining an AAU basketball team. She competed for her company's team- the Golden Cyclones- as soon as she got the job fresh out of high school. The following year, Didrikson competed at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and earned medals in hurdles. javelin throw, and high jump.

Following a brief resumption of her basketball career, a test run in competitive billiards, and even serving as a pitcher for several Major League Baseball Teams; Babe Didrikson began competing in golf on the LGPA circuit in 1935. To maintain her right to compete, Didrikson had to stop competing in all other sports, but the decision paid off. Didrikson became an overnight golf celebrity as the first woman to become a household name in American golf. Didrikson also met the man who would become her husband- George Zaharias- while competing in a pairs tournament. In the 1950's, Zaharias began battling with colon cancer, during which she continued to compete and advocated for cancer research foundations until her eventual death. Didrikson is remembered today as one of the most respected golfers in the sport, one of the greatest athletes of the Olympics, and one of the most inspiring women of American sports history.