Career
Tyus, from Tennessee State University, participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics at age 19. In the final, she set a new world record of 11.08 s to become the first woman to retain the Olympic 100 m title. Tyus also qualified for the 200 m final, in which she finished sixth.
Running the final leg for the relay team, Tyus helped setting a new world record, winning her third gold medal.
Director Bud Greenspan filmed Tyus casually dancing behind her starting blocks before the Olympic final. When interviewed later she said she was doing the "Tighten Up" to stay loose.
Tyus retired from amateur sports after the 1968 Olympics. In 1973 she was invited to compete in the 60-yard dash in the new Professional International Track Association competitions.
During the Richard Dawson era of Family Feud, Tyus appeared with her family.
In 1980, Tyus was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, she was one of eleven athletes who carried in the Olympic Flag during the Opening Ceremony. In 1985, she was inducted into the United States. Olympic Hall of Fame.
In 1999 her hometown Griffin, Georgia honored her with the unveiling of the Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park.