Florence Joyner, popularly referred to as “Flo Jo,” was an American sprinter and Olympic competitor. In 1984, she earned a silver medal in the 200-meter run. She later married Al Joyner, a fellow Olympian and brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She set world records in the 100 and 200 meters in 1988, which still hold today. Joyner won three gold medals and one silver during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. She and her coach, Bob Kersee, became the subject of media curiosity after reports circulated that she had taken performance-enhancing substances to boost her times. Joyner fiercely rejected the claims, which were never verified. Joyner died unexpectedly in September 1998, aged 38, from an epileptic attack.
Early Life
Florence Joyner, also known as “Flo Jo,” was born Florence Delorez Griffith on December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles. Joyner began running at the age of seven, and her ability for speed quickly became apparent. At age 14, she won the Jesse Owens National Youth Games. She later competed for Jordan High School, where she was the relay team’s anchor, before moving on to run in college.
She attended California State University in Northridge and ran for the track team under coach Bob Kersee, who coached her for several years. Joyner left school for financial concerns, but in 1980, she enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where Kersee had recently obtained a post as an assistant track coach. She immediately developed a reputation as a track standout. She won the 200-meter race at the NCAA Championships in 1982. The following year, she finished first in the 400-meter event. In 1983, she earned a psychology degree.
Joyner, coached by Bob Kersee, made her Olympic debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There, she earned a silver medal in the 200-meter run and became famous for her speed, form-fitting bodysuits, and brilliantly painted 6-inch fingernails.
Joyner went into semi-retirement after the 1984 Olympic Games, but she returned to track in time for the 1988 Olympics and recommitted to training. Flo Jo trained alongside Kersee and her husband, Al, at this time, and Joyner’s efforts were rewarded. At the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis, she ran 10.49 seconds to create a new women’s world record in the 100-meter run. Shortly after, she fired Kersee and hired her husband as her full-time coach.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, she won gold medals in the 4-by-100 meter relay, 100- and 200-meter races, and a silver medal in the 4-by-400 meter relay. She also established a world record in the 200-meter run with a time of 21.34 seconds.
Joyner’s Olympic achievement earned her numerous other prizes. She was recognized as the Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year and Track and Field’s Athlete of the Year. Joyner also received the Sullivan Award for best amateur athlete.
Iconic Style and Nails
Flo Jo’s great sense of style was well-known throughout her sports career. Even as a child, she was creative and had a strong sense of fashion. She created outfits for her dolls and tried on her mother’s dresses; once, she was asked to leave a mall because she was wearing a pet snake around her neck as an accessory. As an adult, she applied her talent to styling her friends’ hair and nails.
Joyner’s clothes on the track were legendary. She became well-known for wearing unitards in bright hues like turquoise, purple, and yellow, as well as distinctive design elements like hoods or fabric that covered only one leg. She also challenged convention by competing while wearing jewelry, having long, vividly painted fingernails, and wearing her hair down.
Retirement and Controversy
Joyner retired from competitive sports following the 1988 Summer Olympics. Suspicions quickly developed about how the so-called “world’s fastest woman” won her victories. Joyner and her coach, Bob Kersee, sparked public curiosity when another athlete claimed Joyner had taken performance-enhancing medications. Some attributed Joyner’s significant performance improvements between 1984 and 1988 to illegal substances. Others said her exceptionally strong appearance was the result of performance-enhancing medications.
Rumors circulated about Kersee’s training methods, implying that he may have encouraged his runners to use steroids or other substances in order to win gold. Joyner stated that she never used performance-enhancing drugs and had never failed a drug test. According to CNN.com, Joyner successfully passed 11 drug tests in 1988 alone.
Joyner continued to participate in athletics after she retired. In 1993, she was chosen co-chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, and she later founded her own charity to help children in need. Joyner was inducted into the Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995, nearly six years after the Seoul Olympics ended. Around this time, she resumed preparing for the Olympics. However, complications with her right Achilles tendon hampered her recovery efforts.
She also pursued creative interests, such as performing. In 1989, the well-known fashion icon was hired to design the Indiana Pacers basketball outfits. The Pacers employed her design for seven seasons, which coincided with the team’s ascent to prominence in the early to mid-1990s.
Husband and Daughter
In 1987, Florence Griffith married Al Joyner, the 1984 Olympic triple jump gold medalist and brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She took the official name Florence Delorez Griffith-Joyner and became known as Florence Joyner, or “Flo Jo,” at the time.
Al and Florence initially met in 1980 at the United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Al was immediately smitten, but the couple did not begin dating until 1986, when Al traveled to Los Angeles to train for the 1988 Olympics.
On July 17, 1987, Al proposed to Joyner, and the couple planned to marry the following year. However, an earthquake rocked Los Angeles on October 1, and Flo Jo became terrified—she was suddenly fearful of dying before getting married. So they drove to Las Vegas and got married on October 10, 1987.
Mary is the couple’s only child, born on November 13, 1990. Mary competed in gymnastics as a child and had a gift for singing, which her mother had always admired. Mary became interested in track as she grew older. Al continued to coach, including stints at UCLA and the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. He was remarried in 2003.
Mary attempted a career as a vocalist, appearing on America’s Got Talent in 2012. She co-wrote and produced Flo Jo: A Daughter’s Love, a short documentary on her mother, published in 2023. She founded Flo-Jo Forever, a business that honors her mother’s legacy, and also works as a gym instructor.
Death
Joyner died unexpectedly from an epileptic seizure on September 21, 1998, at her home in Mission Viejo, California. She was 38 years old at the time and is survived by her husband, Al, and their daughter, Mary Joyner.