Summary
Althea Gibson made sporting history in 1957 - the first black tennis player to win a Wimbledon title.
She also won the US Open and the French Open.
Raised on the streets of Harlem, her story is remarkable. And yet she is relatively unknown.
Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University, champions Althea's life.
With writer Sally H Jacobs, who is writing a new biography of the tennis star.
Presenter: Matthew Parris
Produced at BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2021.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to tell you why I love podcasting. |
| 0:04.5 | I'm Sasha Johansson. I'm an Assistant Commissioner for the BBC, |
| 0:08.1 | and I work on making podcasts. My real passion is discovering unbelievable |
| 0:14.3 | unheard stories. I'm working with the biggest stars who can really bring those stories to life. |
| 0:20.0 | I love the whole process of making podcasts from the spark of an idea to hearing the final edit. |
| 0:26.4 | There's nothing like it. What makes BBC podcast special |
| 0:29.5 | is that we're working for you. So whatever we commission has to reflect the things that you |
| 0:34.0 | care about and love, wherever you are in the UK. So if you like this BBC podcast, |
| 0:38.4 | there's so much more to discover. Have a listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:43.6 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:47.4 | A few Gibson serves not the left-hand court. It's chopback shot by hard, Gibson comes up, |
| 0:51.5 | body's down the forehand hard, gets to it, puts it down the internet. |
| 0:57.6 | The Wimbledon Women's Singles Final in July 1957 was an unusual match for a number of reasons. |
| 1:04.9 | First, there was the sweltering heat. It was one of the hottest Wimbledon finals ever. |
| 1:10.0 | Also, the Queen was watching for the first time. But it stands out most of all because of the winner. |
| 1:16.8 | A 29-year-old from Harlem, New York. |
| 1:20.2 | Three match points to Elfier Gibson. He comes in so very fast and darling hard, |
| 1:25.6 | can only put it back on the net. And the new Wimbledon Ladies' Singles champion, |
| 1:30.7 | the first colour champion ever. Elfier Gibson was the first black person to win |
| 1:47.0 | a Wimbledon title. And she's the choice of my guest, Debbie Stridar. |
| 1:52.0 | Debbie is Professor of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University. She advises the Scottish |
| 1:57.6 | Government on its Covid response and is a familiar and respected commentator on the pandemic. |
... |
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