Florence Joyner Biography

Track and field athlete. Born December 21, 1959 in south Los Angeles. Known for her world-record speed, form-fitting bodysuits, and six-inch fingernails. Griffith Joyner was a triple gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics who captivated the world with her blistering speed and flamboyant style. She still holds world records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She setthe 100 mark of 10.49 seconds at the quarter finals of the 1988 Olympic trials at Indianapolis. At Seoul, she won the gold medal in a wind-aided 10.54. She then smashed the world 200 record in the Olympic final, with a 21.34.

Griffith Joyner displayed a muscular physique, which prompted rumors of steroid use. She insisted she never used performance enhancers and she never failed a drug test. Griffith Joyner was voted The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for 1988 and also won the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. After retiring from track in the wake of the Seoul Games, she served for a time as co-chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.

She died unexpectedly of heart failure at age thirty-eight on September 21, 1998. She and her husband had one daughter.

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