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JOYNER-KERSEE,
Jackie, née JACQUELINE JOYNER
(1962- ), American track and field athlete,
born in East St. Louis, Ill. She attended the University of
California at Los Angeles on a basketball scholarship, but was
convinced by her track coach Bob Kersee to train for the
heptathlon (an event that includes the 100-m hurdles, shot put,
high jump, long jump, 200-m run, 800-m run, and the javelin
throw). She won a silver medal in that event at the 1984 Olympics
in Los Angeles (where her brother Al Joyner, who later married
track star Florence Griffith Joyner, won the triple jump). She
married Kersee in 1986, the year she emerged as the world's
premier heptathlete, becoming the first woman to break 7000 points
in the event and winning the Sullivan Award as the nation's top
amateur athlete. Joyner-Kersee also excelled in the long jump and
was the two-time World Champion in both the long jump (1987, 1991)
and heptathlon (1987, 1993). She won gold medals in both events at
the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, setting a world record of
7291 points in the heptathlon. Four years later, at the 1992
Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she repeated as heptathlon champion
and won the bronze medal in the long jump. At the 1996 Olympics in
Atlanta, Ga., Joyner-Kersee was forced to withdraw from the
heptathlon after one event because of a sore leg. Nevertheless,
she managed to win a bronze medal on her final jump in the long
jump. She thus wound up her career with six Olympic medals, three
of them gold. One of the strongest all-around U.S. athletes, as of
late 1997 her world record in the heptathlon remained unbroken
Jackie Joyner Kersee is considered by many to be the best
female athlete ever, but that's not all she's done. Aside from
raising the standards in heptathlon competition, she has comitted
herself to helping charities. Locally, as well as nationally, she
provides support for the Boys and Girls Club. Motivational
speaking is also something she excells at. Recently, she has
accepted the position of spokesperson for the SuperChallenge. The
SuperChallenge is a program designed to raise $1,000,000 dollars
for charity in one year. Jackie Joyner Kersee is not only an
exceptional athlete, but a valuable member of society as well.
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