Jackie Joyner-Kersee is one of the most accomplished track and field athletes in American history. Joyner-Kersee was the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the long jump and the first to score more than 7,000 points in the seven-event heptathlon. She went on to win three golds, a silver, and two bronze medals in four different Olympics. She was recognized as Sports Illustrated’s top female athlete of the twentieth century.
Early Life
Joyner-Kersee was born on March 3, 1962, in East Saint Louis, Illinois. She was the daughter of adolescent parents and struggled financially as a child, but she quickly climbed to prominence due to her athletic ability.
She won the National Junior Pentathlon championships four years in a row as a teen and garnered other awards in high school sports such as track, basketball, and volleyball. Joyner-Kersee excelled in basketball and track and field, and during her junior year, she set the Illinois high school long jump record for women with a 6.68-meter jump.
Joyner-Kersee received a full scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles, and went on to become a household name on and off the court. She began preparing for the Olympics, specifically the heptathlon, in 1981, when she was 19 years old. She eventually graduated from UCLA in 1985.
Olympic Career
Joyner-Kersee rose to prominence as a result of her dominant achievements on the global stage, including four Olympic Games.
1984
Joyner-Kersee won a silver medal in the heptathlon, a seven-event competition that includes the 200-meter run, 800-meter run, and 100-meter hurdles.
Her older brother, Al, also won a gold medal in the triple jump at the Los Angeles Games.
1988
Joyner-Kersee made a statement at the Seoul Games, accumulating a record 7,291 points in the heptathlon to take gold, following her remarkable performance at the 1986 Goodwill Games. In addition, she became the first American woman to win gold in the long jump.
1992
Joyner-Kersee became the first woman to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon when she repeated the feat at the 1992 Barcelona Games. She also earned a bronze medal in the long jump.
1996
Joyner-Kersee’s final Olympic appearance occurred in 1996, when she won another bronze medal in the long jump at the Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. She did not participate in the heptathlon that year owing to a torn hamstring.
Other Records and Achievements
Along with her Olympic victories, Joyner-Kersee won four gold medals at the World Championships. She won the national heptathlon championship eight times and the national long jump title nine times, setting the American record with a leap of 24 feet, 7 inches in 1994. Joyner-Kersee also excelled in the hurdles, setting national records at 50, 55, and 60 meters.
Later Career and Retirements
Joyner-Kersee briefly pursued a professional basketball career after announcing her retirement from track in the summer of 1998. She quickly came out of retirement, hoping to make the United States Olympic team for the fifth time, but she fell short at the 2000 Olympic trials. She retired permanently in February 2001, at the age of 38.
Post-Track Career
The athletic great spent more time to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee youngsters Center Foundation, which she established to inspire impoverished youngsters in her hometown to participate in sports, after retiring. In 2007, she founded Athletes for Hope alongside other champions such as Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, and Mia Hamm. The organization’s website states that its mission is to “educate, encourage, and assist athletes in their efforts to contribute to community and charitable causes.”
Joyner-Kersee joined the board of USA Track & Field in 2012. In 2016, she became a spokesperson for Comcast, a cable television business.
Awards and Honors
Joyner-Kersee received numerous awards, including the 1986 James E. Sullivan Award for top amateur athlete and USA Track & Field’s Jesse Owens Award in 1986 and 1987. In 1999, Sports Illustrated for Women ranked her the finest female athlete of the 20th century. She was also inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2004.
Personal Life
Joyner-Kersee married her coach, Bob Kersee, in 1986. Bob Kersee also trained sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner, or “Flo Jo.” Joyner-Kersee’s brother, Al, was also married to Flo Jo.