Stella Walsh Biography

Runner

Name at birth: Stanislawa Walasiewiczowna

Stella Walsh was a dominant sprinter of the 1930s and the winner of 41 American championships -- but she's best remembered for the revelation that she was not really a woman. Born in Poland, she emigrated to America and became a high school star in Cleveland. Competing for Poland at the 1932 Olympics she won gold in the 100-meter dash. At the Berlin Olympics of 1936 she lost at 100 meters to her bitter rival Helen Stephens; a controversy followed when Walsh's supporters hinted that Stephens was too fast to be a woman. (German doctors examined Stephens and announced she was in fact female.) Walsh continued to compete as an amateur until 1954 and was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975. Five years later she was killed by a stray bullet at a Cleveland shopping center. An autopsy surprised everyone by showing that Walsh had male genitals and both male and female chromosomes -- a condition known as mosaicism. The discovery earned her a place in American sporting lore, along with the whimsical posthumous nickname of "Stella the Fella."

Walsh appears with Rosie Ruiz in our loop on famous Sporting Frauds.

Other athletes embroiled in Olympic controversies have included speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, decathlete Jim Thorpe and figure skater Tonya Harding.

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