Florence Griffith Joyner
SPRINT. Joyner falls to her knees after winning gold. She is at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and her 200 meter record is still the top time for any women since then. Because of this, she is considered one of the fastest women of all time.
Florence Griffith Joyner, also known as “Flo Jo,” was a track and field athlete considered to be the fastest woman of all time.
Joyner was born in 1959 in California. She began running when she was seven and at the age of 14 won the Jesse Owens National Youth Games.
At the University of California Los Angeles, Joyner became the NCAA champion in 1982 with a win in the 200 meter and a year later took the 400 meter.
Joyner made her Olympic debut at the 1994 Los Angeles Games and won a silver in the 200 meter run.
After the games, she took a break from competing, and in 1987 married Al Joyner.
Soon, she began training for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. She took home gold medals in the 4×100 meter relay, 100 meter and 200 meter runs, and a silver in the 4×400 meter relay.
Joyner’s performance in the 100 meter and 200 meter runs for the 1988 Olympic trials and games still holds the world record more than 30 years later.
After the 1988 games, she retired from competition. She died unexpectedly from an epileptic seizure in September of 1998, survived by her husband and daughter, Mary Joyner.
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