Helen Herring Stephens (February 3, 1918 – January 17, 1994) was an American

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-dev ...

and a double

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

champion in 1936.

Biography

Stephens, nicknamed the "Fulton Flash" after her birthplace,

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

, was a strong athlete in sprint events—she never lost a race in her entire career—and also in weight events such as the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by t ...

. She won national titles in both categories. When she was 18, Stephens participated in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

. There she won the

100 m 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

final, beating reigning champion and

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...

holder, Stanisława Walasiewicz (aka Stella Walsh) of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

. Stephen's time of 11.5 s was below the

, but was not recognized because a strong tailwind was blowing at the time of the race. Next, Stephens anchored the American

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smalles ...

team that won the Olympic title after the leading

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

team dropped its baton. Stephens is quoted by Olympic historian, David Wallechinsky, about her post-race experience with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. "He comes in and gives me the Nazi salute. I gave him a good, old-fashioned Missouri handshake," she said. "Once more Hitler goes for the jugular vein. He gets hold of my fanny and begins to squeeze and pinch, and hug me up. And he said: 'You're a true Aryan type. You should be running for Germany.' So after he gave me the once over and a full massage, he asked me if I'd like to spend the weekend in Berchtesgaden." Stephens refused. Stephens retired from athletics shortly after the games and played professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

. She attended

William Woods University William Woods University is a private university in Fulton, Missouri. Founded in 1870, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Expanding its mission to address the need for graduate and adult-oriented programs, the instit ...

, Fulton High School, and Middle River School in Fulton. From 1938–1952, she was the owner and manager of her own semi-professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team; she was the first woman to own and manage a semi-professional basketball team. She was employed for many years in the Research Division of the U.S. Aeronautical Chart and Information Service (later, a part of the

Defense Mapping Agency The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense whose primary mission is collecting, analyzing, and distributing geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of national ...

) in St. Louis, Missouri. Her longtime partner was Mabel O. Robbe (née Wires), a dietician at Francis Shimer College. In 1993, she was inducted into the

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution incorporated in 1969 by a group of men and women in Seneca Falls, New York, although it did not induct its first enshrinees until 1973. As of 2021, it had 303 inductees. Indu ...

. She died in Saint Louis at age 75.

Gender

At the 1936 Olympics, it was suggested that both Stephens and Stanisława Walasiewicz were, in fact, male. The Olympic Committee performed a physical check on Stephens and concluded that she was a woman.

Bibliography

* ''The Life of Helen Stephens – The Fulton Flash'', by Sharon Kinney Hanson, 2004.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Helen 1918 births 1994 deaths American female discus throwers American female shot putters American female sprinters American women's basketball players American female baseball players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics William Woods University alumni People from Fulton, Missouri Softball players from Missouri Track and field athletes from Missouri USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American women 20th-century American people LGBT people from Missouri LGBT track and field athletes American LGBT sportspeople Olympic female sprinters 20th-century LGBT people