Florence Joyner Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Florence Joyner
OCCUPATION: Track and Field Athlete
BIRTH DATE: December 21, 1959
DEATH DATE: September 21, 1998
PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, California

PLACE OF DEATH: Mission Viejo, California

more about Florence

Best Known For

Olympic gold medalist Florence Joyner brought style to track and field with form-fitting bodysuits, six-inch fingernails, and amazing speed.

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Florence Joyner

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Synopsis

Born Delorez Florence Griffith on December 21, 1959, "Flo Jo" was married to fellow athlete Al Joyner. She was a triple gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and still holds the world records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Her muscular physique, for

Quotes

"The ladder of success is never crowded at the top."

– Florence Joyner

Profile

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 set the 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.