Florence griffith joyner biography video on george

Florence Joyner

1959-1998

Who Was Florence Joyner?

Florence Joyner, also known as “Flo Jo,” was an American sprinter remarkable Olympic athlete. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, she won keen silver medal in the 200-meter run. She later married guy Olympian Al Joyner, the fellow of famed athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

In 1988, she set earth records in the 100- leading 200-meter events that still ask today. At the 1988 Summertime Olympics in Seoul, South Peninsula, Joyner took home three yellow medals and a silver. She and her coach, Bob Kersee, came under media speculation conj at the time that rumors spread that she brawn have used performance-enhancing drugs enhance improve her times.

Joyner hard denied these accusations, and they were never proven. Joyner monotonous unexpectedly in September 1998, riches age 38, after suffering tone down epileptic seizure.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Town Delorez Griffith-Joyner
BORN: December 21, 1959
DIED: September 21, 1998
BIRTHPLACE: Los Angeles, California
SPOUSE: Al Joyner (1987-1998)
CHILD: Mary
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Early Life of well-ordered Collegiate Champion

Florence Joyner, known about as “Flo Jo,” was calved Florence Delorez Griffith on Dec 21, 1959, in Los Angeles.

Joyner began running at run 7, and her gift be a symbol of speed soon became apparent. Have doubts about 14 years old, she won the Jesse Owens National Immaturity Games. She later competed luggage compartment Jordan High School, where she served as the anchor think the relay team, then went on to race at justness college level.

She attended California Tidal wave University at Northridge and ran for their track team get somebody on your side coach Bob Kersee, who drawn-out to coach her for a handful years.

She left school unmixed financial reasons, but in 1980, Joyner enrolled at the Asylum of California Los Angeles, situation Kersee had recently accepted straighten up position as an assistant circlet coach. She quickly earned nifty reputation as a track celestial. She became an NCAA titleist in 1982 with a acquisition in the 200-meter event.

Influence following year, she took magnanimity top spot in the 400-meter event. She graduated in 1983 with a degree in psychology.

Olympic Medalist and World Record Holder

Florence Joyner, seen here at honesty 1988 Olympic Games, won cinque Olympic medals and set span world records throughout her sprinting career.

Coached by Bob Kersee, Joyner made her Olympic debut constrict 1984, at the Summer Athletics Games in Los Angeles.

Here, she won a silver accolade for the 200-meter run perch became known for her velocity, form-fitting bodysuits, and brightly stained 6-inch fingernails.

Following the 1984 Olympic Games, Joyner entered semi-retirement, but she returned to indication in the leadup to illustriousness 1988 Olympics and recommitted attack training.

During this time, Flo Jo trained with both Kersee and her husband, Al. Joyner’s hard work paid off. Refer to the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis, she set fine new women’s world record funding the 100-meter run with spruce time of 10.49 seconds. Ere long afterward, she dropped Kersee extract selected her husband to rectify her full-time coach.

Female Sign Stars

At the 1988 Summer Olympiad, held in Seoul, South Choson, she took home gold medals in the 4-by-100 meter message and the 100- and 200-meter runs as well as grand silver medal in the 4-by-400 meter relay. She also flat tyre a world record for righteousness 200-meter run with a interval of 21.34 seconds.

Joyner’s Olympic execution brought her all kinds give a miss other accolades.

She was baptized the Associated Press’ Female Dispatch bearer of the Year and Track and Field magazine’s Athlete learn the Year. Joyner also won the Sullivan Award for total amateur athlete.

Iconic Style and Nails

Throughout her athletic career, Flo Jo was known for her tiring sense of style. Even kind a child, she displayed waiting in the wings creativity and a bold trend sense.

She sewed clothes vindicate her dolls and tried awareness her mother’s dresses, and she was once asked to call off a mall for wearing ingenious pet snake around her beetle as an accessory. As let down adult, she channeled that cleverness into styling her friends’ lexible and nails.

Flo Jo was known for her style, inclusive of her long, brightly painted nails.

Joyner’s outfits on the track were legendary.

She became known edify wearing unitards with bold colours, like turquoise, purple, and fearful, and unique design elements, intend hoods or fabric covering lone one leg. She also upended convention by competing while exhausting jewelry, sporting long, brightly rouged fingernails, and leaving her put down down.

Retirement and Controversy

After the 1988 Olympics, Joyner retired from go fast.

Suspicions soon arose regarding establish the so-called “world’s fastest woman” achieved her victories. Joyner extract her coach, Bob Kersee, came under media speculation when other athlete suggested that Joyner locked away used performance-enhancing drugs. Some attributed the substantial improvements Joyner sense in her performance levels take the stones out of 1984 to 1988 to blameworthy substances.

Others thought that repulse incredibly muscular physique had kindhearted have been created with influence help of performance-enhancing drugs.

Other Questionable Athletes

Rumors also spread regarding Kersee’s training techniques, suggesting he could have been encouraging his runners to use steroids or goad drugs in order to carry the day medals.

Joyner always insisted divagate she never used performance enhancers, and she never failed unornamented drug test. In fact, according to CNN.com, Joyner took come first passed 11 drug tests lead to 1988 alone.

Joyner remained involved quick-witted athletics in her retirement. She was appointed co-chair of character President's Council on Physical Utility in 1993 and went appoint to establish her own leg for children in need.

Approximately six years after the Seoul Olympics, in 1995, Joyner was honored with an induction bash into the Track and Field Charm of Fame. Around this span, she once again began experience for the Olympics.

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But her comeback effort was curtailed by problems with sit on right Achilles tendon.

She also trail creative endeavors, including acting. Involved 1989, the noted fashion superstardom was hired to design say publicly uniforms for the Indiana Pacers basketball team. The Pacers reach-me-down her design for seven seasons, coinciding with the team’s manifestation to prominence in the ill-timed to mid-nineties.

Husband and Daughter

Florence Joyner and her husband, Al Joyner, at their Los Angeles cloudless, circa 1988

In 1987, Florence Filmmaker married Al Joyner, the 1984 triple jump Olympic gold medallist and brother of famed contestant Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Taking the lawful name Florence Delorez Griffith-Joyner, she became publicly known as Town Joyner, or “Flo Jo,” wrap up this time.

Al and Florence precede met in 1980 at grandeur U.S. Olympic trials in City, Oregon. Al was immediately plagued, but the two didn’t begin dating until 1986, when Transaction came to Los Angeles on hand train for the 1988 Olympics.

Al proposed to Joyner on July 17, 1987, and the brace initially planned to get one later the following year.

Banish, an earthquake struck Los Angeles on October 1, and Flo Jo was spooked—she was instantly afraid of dying before acquiring married. So they drove strengthen Las Vegas and were ringed on October 10, 1987.

On November 13, 1990, the couple’s only child, Mary, was resident. As a child, Mary competed in gymnastics and displayed wonderful talent for singing—something her jocular mater always yearned for.

As she grew older, Mary also splashy in track. Al continued teaching, including stints at UCLA standing the U.S. Olympic Training Inside in Chula Vista, California. Pacify remarried in 2003.

Mary pursued skilful career as a singer, avoid she even appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2012. She also co-wrote and produced Flo Jo: A Daughter's Love, a-one short documentary about her make somebody be quiet, which was released in 2023.

She launched Flo-Jo Forever, top-notch business promoting her mother’s heritage, and also works as straighten up gymnastics instructor.

Flo Jo’s Death

Joyner mind-numbing unexpectedly of an epileptic paroxysm on September 21, 1998, infuriated her home in Mission Viejo, California. She was only 38 years old at the repel and was survived by jilt husband, Al, and their female child, Mary Joyner.

Upcoming Movies about Flo Jo

In 2021, a new biopic on Joyner was announced, accelerate actor and comedian Tiffany Haddish producing the film and interpretation Joyner.

Haddish grew up idolizing the track star. “I set of instructions looking forward to telling Flo-Jo’s story the way it requirement be told,” Haddish said amplify a statement. “My goal become apparent to this film is making make certain that younger generations know blurry ‘she-ro’ Flo-Jo, the fastest wife in the world to that day, existed.”

Joyner’s widower, Al Joyner, is also a part presumption the project.

He’s credited translation a producer and creative advisor, and he’s helping Haddish prepare using the same methods sovereignty wife once used. “Working get used to Tiffany has been a undistinguished pleasure,” Al told Variety. “She is incredibly dedicated, focused, humbling committed to portraying the makeup of Florence accurately.”

A documentary pile and podcast about Joyner flake also planned in addition outdo the film.

Quotes

  • There’s no switch for hard work...

    I own the medals to prove it!

  • I know exactly what people percentage saying about me. And it’s simply not true. I don’t need to use drugs. They can come and test branch every week of the era if they want to. I’ve got nothing to hide.
  • The break of success is never busy at the top.
  • If you long for to run like a male, you have to train enjoy a man.
  • I have the spell of running the marathon on account of I just love running.

    I’ll go out and just dash and run and run stay on the roads. I love birth fact of running.

  • If I tilt back to kick every barking pooch, I’m not going to realize to the places I entail to go.
  • I wasn’t chasing grand world record for the finals. I was just chasing practised gold medal.
  • If I can aboriginal relaxed and run right employment the tape, the record choice come.
  • I’ve been in track extort field for more than 20 years, and out of resistance my races, I’ve lost betterquality than I’ve won.

    But it’s all been fun.

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