Stella Walsh (March 25th at Tower City Cinemas as part of the 39th Cleveland International Film Festival)

[Stella Walsh (included in the Ohio Shorts 2 program) screens Wednesday March 25th at 9:20 pm at Tower City Cinemas as part of the 39th Cleveland International Film Festival.]

See all posts about the 39th Cleveland International Film Festival

Review by Bob Ignizio

Born in Poland, athlete Stella Walsh (Polish name Stanisława Walasiewicz) grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where she lived most of her life. She won numerous medals (including an Olympic gold in 1932 for the 100 meter while on the Polish team) and broke numerous national and world records. When she retired, she settled down in Cleveland where she trained younger female athletes.

On December 4^th, 1980, Stella Walsh was murdered in a grocery store parking lot. Shortly thereafter an autopsy revealed that Stella had what was referred to as “ambiguous genitalia”. It's a fascinating story even if, like me, you couldn't care less about sports.

NE Ohio made documentary "Stella Walsh' to screen at 39th Cleveland International Film Festival

[Press release from Rob Lucas.]

“Stella Walsh,” a short documentary about the Olympic athlete of the same name by Akron filmmaker Rob Lucas, will screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival on March 25, 2015.

 

Walsh, who lived most of her life in Cleveland, was one of the most celebrated female athletes on the planet. She had thousands of medals, ribbons, honors and fans from around the world. Her popularity continued for decades after winning a gold medal running the 100-meter dash for Poland in the 1932 Olympics, until she was killed during a robbery in a Cleveland parking lot and it was discovered that she had ambiguous gender.