Alice Coachman wins Olympic gold — first Black woman Olympic champion

Alice Coachman won the Olympic high jump at the 1948 London Games with a leap of 5 feet, 6 1/8 inches — an Olympic and American record — becoming the first Black woman from any country to win an Olympic gold medal. King George VI personally awarded her the honor. Coachman had trained despite segregated facilities and minimal parental support, and was the only American woman to win gold at those Games.