Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner
Griffith Joyner in 1988
Co-chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
In office
1993–1998
Serving with Tom McMillen[1]
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byArnold Schwarzenegger (as chairman)
Succeeded byLee Haney (as chair)
Personal details
Born
Florence Delorez Griffith[2]

(1959-12-21)December 21, 1959[3]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.[3]
DiedSeptember 21, 1998(1998-09-21) (aged 38)[3]
Mission Viejo, California, U.S.[3]
Resting placeEl Toro Memorial Park, Lake Forest, California, U.S.
Sports career
NicknameFlo-Jo[3]
National teamUnited States
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)[3]
Weight126 lb (57 kg)[3]
Event(s)100 meters, 200 meters
ClubTiger World Class Athletic Club
West Coast Athletic Club
Retired1989
Sports achievements and titles
Personal bests100m: 10.49 WR[note 1]
200m: 21.34 WR
400m: 50.89
4 × 100m: 41.55
4 × 400m: 3:15.51 AR
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul 100 m
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul 4×100 m
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul 4×400 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Rome 4×100 m
Silver medal – second place 1987 Rome 200 m

Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner[4] (born Florence Delorez Griffith;[2] December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She set world records in 1988 for the 100 m and 200 m. During the late 1980s, she became a popular figure due to both her record-setting athleticism and eclectic personal style.

Griffith Joyner was born and raised in California. She was athletic from a young age and began running at track meets as a child. While attending California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she continued to compete in track and field. While still in college, she qualified for the 100 m 1980 Olympics but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott. She made her Olympic debut four years later, winning a silver medal in the 200 meter distance at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. At the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, Griffith set a new world record in the 100-meter sprint. She won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympics.

In February 1989, Griffith Joyner abruptly retired from athletics. She remained a pop culture figure through endorsement deals, acting, and designing. In 1998, at age 38, she died in her sleep during an epileptic seizure caused by a birth defect. Griffith Joyner is buried at the El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest.

  1. ^ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (August 24, 2021). "History of the Council". health.gov. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Nathan Aaseng. African-Jamaican Athletes. Infobase. ISBN 9781438107783. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Florence Griffith Joyner". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Whitaker, Matthew C. (2011). Icons of Black America: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries, Volume 1. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 520. ISBN 978-0-313-37642-9.


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