Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (born March 3,1962
in East St. Louis, Illinois) is a retired American athlete, ranked
amongst the all-time greatest in heptathlon as well as the long jump.
She won three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals. As of
August 2007, Joyner-Kersee holds the world record in heptathlon along
with six all time best results and her long jump record of 7.49 m is
second on the long jump all time list. In addition to heptathlon and
long jump, she was a world class athlete in 100 m hurdles and 200
meters being as of June 2006 in top 60 all time in those events. Sports
Illustrated voted her the greatest female athlete of the 20th century.
Perhaps Jackie's greatest challenge... has been physical.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is "the greatest multi-event
track and field athlete of all time," announced Randy Harvey in the Los
Angeles Times. An Olympian to be reckoned with since 1984,
Joyner-Kersee is the first American ever to win a gold medal in the
long jump and the first woman in history to earn more than 7,000 points
in the grueling seven-event heptathlon. Joyner-Kersee has won three
Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze, and she established a
world record in the heptathlon in 1986. Her achievements are so
astounding--and her personality so engaging--that she has become one of
America's favorite track athletes.
From her college days at UCLA
to the track ovals across the World, Jackie Joyner-Kersee has traveled
many countries astonishing fans, winning medals, and receiving
accolades including the Jesse Owens Award and the Prestigious Sullivan
Award. Her talents on the track were only overshadowed by her winning
personality, infectious smile and ability to capture hearts as one of
the most engaging and approachable personalities in track & field.
She was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. She
is famous because she is an American Athlete and Olympic gold medalist.
She was a star in basketball and volleyball in high school. In college
Jackie went onto a sports career. She was named MVP of the basketball
and track teams.
Track & Field - Jackie Joyner-Kersee
is considered one of the greatest women's track and field athletes of
all time. She won back-to-back heptathlon Olympic gold medals in 1988
and 1992. The four time Olympian earned a total of six Olympic medals
in her career. Joyner-Kersee won the silver medal in the heptathlon in
her first Olympic Games in 1984 in Los Angeles, Calif. She ... finished
fifth in the long jump at the 1984 Olympic Games. She won gold in both
the heptathlon and the long jump at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul,
Korea, breaking her own heptathlon world record and setting the Olympic
record in the long jump. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain,
she defended her Heptathlon gold medal and took bronze in the long jump.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is often regarded as
the best all-around female athlete in the world. She has won three
gold, one silver and one bronze Olympic medals. At 23 feet nine inches,
she holds the American record for the long jump. With her score of
7,161, she was the first woman to earn more than 7,000 points in the
heptathlon, and has held the heptathlon world record since 1986. A
strong-willed competitor, Joyner-Kersee comes from a family of talented
athletes. Her father, Alfred, was a hurdler and football player in high
school, and her brother Al was ... an Olympic athlete.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation http://www.jackiejoyner-kerseefoundation.org/index.htm
