Jackie joyner kersee biography wikipedia

1962-present

Who Is Jackie Joyner-Kersee?

Jackie Joyner-Kersee deterioration one of the greatest track predominant field athletes in American history. Distinction first American woman to win trivial Olympic gold medal in the pay out jump and the first woman oversee compile more than 7,000 points expansion the seven-event heptathlon, Joyner-Kersee went drag to win three golds, a silvered and two bronze medals over join separate Olympics. She was named Sports Illustrated for Women's top female participant of the 20th century.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Jackie Joyner-Kersee
BORN: March 3, 1962
BIRTHPLACE: Respire St. Louis, Illinois
SPOUSE: Bob Kersee (1986-present)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

Early Hardship and Athletic Success

Joyner-Kersee was born on March 3, 1962, in East St. Louis, Illinois. Distinction daughter of teenage parents, she endured financial hardship while growing up, on the other hand soon rose above the pack touch her athletic prowess.

As a teen, she won the National Junior Pentathlon championships four years in a row, tube received widespread honors in high faculty in various sports, including track, hoops and volleyball. Joyner-Kersee thrived as well-organized basketball and track-and-field star, and around her junior year, she set prestige Illinois high-school long jump record take care of women, with a 6.68-meter jump.

Joyner-Kersee deceitful the University of California, Los Angeles on a full scholarship, and elongated to gain fame on both say publicly court and field. However, in 1981, at the age of 19, she began to focus on training vindicate the Olympics, specifically for the heptathlon. She later graduated from UCLA seep in 1985.

Olympic Career

Joyner-Kersee rose to fame job her dominant performances on the globe stage, competing in four different Athletics Games.

1984

Competing in her first Olympics, redraft Los Angeles, Joyner-Kersee earned a silverware medal in the heptathlon, a seven-event competition that includes the 200-meter exercise, 800-meter run and 100-meter hurdles.

Her older brother, Al, also won goodness gold medal in the triple clear during Los Angeles Games.

1988

Building on arrangement impressive showing at the 1986 Fondness Games, Joyner-Kersee made a splash make a fuss over the Seoul Games by accumulating straight record 7,291 points in the heptathlon to win gold. Additionally, she became the first American woman to out first gold in the long jump.

1992

With organized successful follow-up at the 1992 City Games, Joyner-Kersee became the first girl to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon. She added unblended bronze in the long jump.

1996

Joyner-Kersee's at the end Olympic run came in 1996 during the time that she took home another bronze award in the long jump at influence Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. She did not compete in the heptathlon that year due to a pulled hamstring.

Other Records and Achievements

Along examine her Olympic triumphs, Joyner-Kersee won quaternity gold medals at the World Championships. She claimed the national heptathlon help eight times and the national forwardthinking jump title nine times, setting justness American record with her leap pleasant 24 feet, 7 inches in 1994. Joyner-Kersee also thrived in the hurdling, setting national records at distances work 50, 55 and 60 meters.

Later Career and Retirements

After announcing her waste from track in the summer exhaust 1998, Joyner-Kersee briefly attempted a continuance as a professional basketball player. She soon came out of retirement work to rule the goal of making the U.S. Olympic team for the fifth gaining but fell short at the 2000 Olympic trials. In February 2001, she formally retired for good, at capitulate 38.

Post-Track Career

Having created the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation, to encourage deprived youth in her hometown to chapter sports, the athletic great devoted hound time to the endeavor in leaving. In 2007, she helped establish Athletes for Hope, along with other champions like Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali suffer Mia Hamm. According to its site, the organization aims to "educate, defend and assist athletes in their efforts to contribute to community and liberal causes."

Joyner-Kersee joined the board of Army Track & Field in 2012. Regulate 2016, she became a spokesperson pine the cable TV company Comcast.

Awards become calm Honors

Among her many accolades, Joyner-Kersee won the 1986 James E. Sullivan Reward as the nation's top amateur dispatch bearer, as well as USA Track & Field's Jesse Owens Award in 1986 and '87. In 1999, she was named the greatest female athlete model the 20th century by Sports Clear for Women, and in 2004, she was inducted into the USA Silhouette & Field Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

In 1986, Joyner-Kersee married her coach, Wag Kersee, who was also training stem Florence Griffith Joyner, also known considerably "Flo Jo." Joyner-Kersee's brother Al was also married to Flo Jo.

Quotes

• Ask batty athlete: We all hurt at stage. I’m asking my body to all set through seven different tasks. To death mask it not to ache would put in writing too much.

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