Like any proper girl from Taiwan, Chi Cheng spent much of her trip to Rome for the 1960 Olympics carrying the baggage of male athletes. "It was my first time out of the country," she says, "and I was in shock. I had never seen Westerners before, or Negroes or television or Coca-Cola or eyes different from mine." Everything was so new and strange, in fact, that the prospect of running against Caucasian girls embarrassed her. She finished last in her qualifying heat in the 80-meter hurdles.
Now 26 and a senior at California State Polytechnic College, Chi Cheng has adapted to...
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