Florence Griffith-Joyner

Delorez Florence Griffith was born on December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the Watts neighborhood. She was one of eleven children raised largely by her mother after her parents separated. She showed early athletic talent and began competing in track events as a child at local meets organized by the Jesse Owens National Youth Games.

Griffith attended California State University, Northridge, and later transferred to UCLA, where she trained under coach Bob Kersee. She competed in the 200 meters and 400 meters at the collegiate level and showed steady improvement through the early 1980s. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she won a silver medal in the 200 meters, her first Olympic appearance.

In 1987, she married triple jumper Al Joyner, and thereafter competed under the name Florence Griffith-Joyner. The 1988 season marked the peak of her career. At the United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, she ran the 100 meters in 10.49 seconds, a world record that has never been broken. At the Seoul Olympics, she won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4x100-meter relay, and silver in the 4x400-meter relay. She also set the world record in the 200 meters at 21.34 seconds during the Games.

Griffith-Joyner was also known for her distinctive appearance, including her long painted fingernails, elaborate one-legged running suits, and colorful hair. She became one of the most recognizable athletes of her era, and her performances at the 1988 Games attracted enormous media attention worldwide. She retired from competition in early 1989.

Florence Griffith-Joyner died on September 21, 1998, in Mission Viejo, California, at the age of 38. The cause of death was determined to be an epileptic seizure. Her world records in the 100 meters and 200 meters remain on the books as of 2026.