Elisabeth Schwartz (second left) wins the 1928 Olympic Games 100m (© Getty Images)
Elizabeth Robinson Schwartz, the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics, has passed away at age 87.
Mrs Schwartz, who in 1928 won the gold medal in the 100m in a then world record 12.2, died Tuesday (20) in Colorado. She was suffering from cancer and Alzheimer's disease, according to her son, Rick.
A native of the Chicago suburb of Riverdale, Schwartz also won gold in the 4x100m at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Schwartz's career nearly ended in 1931 when she was seriously injured in a plane crash south of Chicago. Doctors said she wouldn't live, then they said she wouldn't walk, according to her son. She began training again shortly after. But she was no longer able to crouch down for the sprint position. So she began running relays.
Schwartz retired shortly after the 1936 Olympics. She married Richard Schwartz in 1939, and often travelled the country speaking on behalf of the Women's Athletic Association and the Girls’ Athletic Association.
Schwartz also is survived by a daughter and three grandchildren.
Associated Press for the IAAF
