The recipient of one of the first female athletic scholarships at UCLA, Ashford rewarded the school by twice winning national championships in both the 100 and 200 meters. Ashford quit school in 1978 to train fulltime; the efforts paid off one year later when she defeated the East German world record holders in the 100 and 200-meter races at the 1979 World Cup. In 1996, at 35, Ashford became the oldest woman to win a gold medal in track and field as a member of the USA's 4x100 relay, closing a career that included four Olympic gold medals, a silver and two world records in the 100.
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