One of USA’s most decorated track stars in the 1950s was Isabelle Frances Daniels. Born in the tiny town of Jakin in southwest Georgia, “Tweety” – a nickname that stuck as a young girl – grew up in a deeply segregated region attending all-Black schools where opportunities were few and far between. As a senior at Carver High School, she won the Georgia State Championships in both the 50-yard and 100-yard dash, earning recognition nationwide and recruitment to Tennessee State – then the most prestigious college women’s track program in the country. Competing for USA Track & Field at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City, Daniels took second place in the 60 Meters and was part of the gold-medal winning 4×100 Meter relay team.

At the 1956 U.S. Olympic Trials, Daniels won the 100-meter dash to earn the title of fastest woman in America, beating a talented field that included future three-time Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph. At the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, she initially placed third in a tight finish in the 100 Meters, but post-race photos pushed her to fourth and just off the podium. Later, Daniels anchored USA's 4×100-meter relay team to a 3rd place finish and the bronze medal in an American record-breaking time of 44.9 seconds. Amazingly, all three teams (Australia, Great Britain and USA) shattered the previous world record. For Daniels and her teammates Mae Faggs, Margaret Matthews and Wilma Rudolph, it was a powerful moment for women’s sports and African American history as they became the first all-Black ladies relay team to ever compete at the Olympics.

Offered here is a never-before-seen trio of medals won by Isabelle Daniels at two international dual meets in 1958. At the USA-Poland meet in Warsaw, she won the 200 Meters and was part of USA's winning 4x100m relay team. Both gold winner's medals, made of shiny gold-plated silver (50 mm; 53 g), are included with the same design on the obverse (hurdler and meet details) and the event and place inscribed on the reverse in Polish. They come in their original square gray presentation cases.

A much larger medal from the 1958 USA-USSR meet appears to be a third-place bronze award for the 4x100m based on the Russian inscription on the reverse. It measures 85 mm in diameter, 3.5 mm thick, and weighs 122 grams. The material appears to be bronze alloy or brass. The obverse features a colorful design of a naked discus thrower, with the USA and USSR [CCCP] flags on either side and the meet details in yellow Cyrillic letters around the perimeter. It comes in its original red presentation box lined in velvet on the interior. A bonus item in this lot is a colorful enameled pin from the 1958 USA-USSR meet showing the same discus thrower image on the front.

The two gold medals remain in outstanding NM-MT condition, while the larger medal (EX) has some tarnishing on the back. All items come directly from the family with a letter of provenance.