Incubator escapee wiki

Florence Griffith Joyner

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English {{#invoke:infobox|infoboxTemplate | bodyclass = vcard | bodystyle = {{#if:|width: {{{mainwidth}}}}} | child = {{{embed}}}

| abovestyle = font-size: 100%;

| above = {{#if:|

{{{honorific-prefix}}}

}}

{{#if:|{{{name}}}|Template:PAGENAMEBASE}}

{{#if:|

{{{honorific-suffix}}}

}}

| subheaderstyle = font-size:125%; font-weight:bold;

| subheader = {{#ifeq:{{{embed}}}|yes||{{#if:|{{#if:|

}}{{{native_name}}}{{#if:|

}}}}}}

| image = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=Florence Griffith Joyner2.jpg|size=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=|suppressplaceholder=yes}} | image2 = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=|size=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=|suppressplaceholder=yes}} | image3 = {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=|sizedefault=frameless|upright=1|alt=|suppressplaceholder=yes}} | captionstyle = line-height:normal;padding-top:0.2em; | caption{{#if:|3|{{#if:|2}}}} = Griffith Joyner in 1988

| headerstyle = color: #202122; {{#ifeq:{{{embed}}}|yes|background:#eee|background:lavender}}

| data1 = {{#if:| {{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}}}Template:Infobox officeholder/office{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| {{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}{{#if:|| Template:Infobox officeholder/office}}

| data2 = | header3 = {{#if:Florence Delorez Griffith<ref name=AA/>Template:Birth date<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>Los Angeles, California, U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>Template:Death date and age<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>Mission Viejo, California, U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>El Toro Memorial Park, Lake Forest, California, U.S.|Personal details}} | label4 = Pronunciation | data4 =

| label5 = Born | data5 = {{#invoke:Separated entries|br

|1 = {{#if:Florence Delorez Griffith<ref name=AA/>|

Florence Delorez Griffith<ref name=AA/>

}} 

|2 = Template:Birth date<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
|3 = Los Angeles, California, U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
}}

| label6 = Died | data6 = {{#invoke:Separated entries|br|Template:Death date and age<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>|Mission Viejo, California, U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>}}

| label7 = {{#ifexpr: Template:Strfind short 

   | Manner |{{#if:|Manner|Cause}} }} of death

| data7 = {{#if:||}}

| label8 = Resting place | class8 = label | data8 = {{#invoke:Separated entries|br|El Toro Memorial Park, Lake Forest, California, U.S.|}}

| label9 = Citizenship | data9 =

| label10 = Nationality | data10 = {{#switch:{{#invoke:delink|delink|}} | {{#ifeq:Template:Country2nationality|{{#invoke:delink|delink|}}|{{#invoke:delink|delink|}}}} = | {{#ifeq:Template:Find country|England|British}} = | #default = }}

| label11 = Political party | data11 = {{#switch: | = | Democrat | Democratic | Democrat = Democratic | Republican | United States Republican Party | Republican | Republican Party = Republican | Conservative Party | Conservative = Conservative | Labour Party | Labour = Labour | Conservative Party | Conservative = Conservative | Liberal Party | Liberal = Liberal | KMT | Kuomintang | KMT | KMT | Kuomintang | Kuomintang (KMT) | Kuomintang (KMT) = Kuomintang | DPP | DPP | Democratic Progressive Party = Democratic Progressive Party | #default = }}

| label12 = Other political
affiliations | data12 =

| label13 = Height | data13 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox person/height}}

| label14 = Spouse{{#if:|s|{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}}}} | data14 =

| label15 = Domestic partner{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}} | data15 =

| label16 = Relations | data16 =

| label17 = Children | data17 =

| label18 = Parent{{#if:|{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}}|{{#ifexpr:Template:Count > 1|s}}}} | data18 = {{#if:|{{{parents}}}|{{#invoke:list|unbulleted|{{#if:|{{{father}}} (father)}}|{{#if:|{{{mother}}} (mother)}}}}}}

| label19 = Relatives | data19 =

| label20 = Residence{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}} | class20 = {{#if:Template:Death date and age<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>Mission Viejo, California, U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>||label}} | data20 =

| label21 = Education | data21 =

| label22 = Alma mater | data22 =

| label23 = Occupation | data23 =

| label24 = Profession | data24 =

| label25 = Known for | data25 =

| label26 = Salary | data26 =

| label27 = Cabinet | data27 =

| label28 = Committees | data28 =

| label29 = Portfolio | data29 =

| label30 = {{#if:|Civilian awards|Awards}} | data30 =

| label31 = {{{blank1}}} | data31 =

| label32 = {{{blank2}}} | data32 =

| label33 = {{{blank3}}} | data33 =

| label34 = {{{blank4}}} | data34 =

| label35 = {{{blank5}}} | data35 =

| label36 = Signature | data36 = {{#if:|[[File:{{{signature}}}|{{#if:|{{{signature_size}}}|128x80px}}|class=skin-invert|alt=|Florence Griffith Joyner's signature]]}}

| label37 = Website | data37 =

| label38 = Nickname{{#invoke:Detect singular|pluralize||likely=(s)|plural=s}} | data38 =

| header39 = {{#if:|Military service}}

| label40 = Allegiance | data40 =

| label41 = {{#if:||Branch/service}} | data41 =

| label42 = {{#if:||Years of service}} | data42 =

| label43 = {{#if:||Rank}} | data43 =

| label44 = {{#if:||Unit}} | data44 =

| label45 = Commands | data45 =

| label46 = {{#if:||Battles/wars}} | data46 =

| label47 = {{#if:|Military awards|Awards}} | data47 =

| label48 = {{{military_blank1}}} | data48 =

| label49 = {{{military_blank2}}} | data49 =

| label50 = {{{military_blank3}}} | data50 =

| label51 = {{{military_blank4}}} | data51 =

| label52 = {{{military_blank5}}} | data52 =

| data53 = Template:Infobox sportsperson | data54 = | data55 = | data56 = | data57 = | data58 = | belowstyle = border-top: 1px solid right;

| below =

{{#if:| As of {{{date}}}{{#if:|, {{{year}}}}}}}

{{#if:|Source: [{{{source}}}]}}

}}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#if:||{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}}}} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| regexp1 = 1blankname[%d]* | regexp2 = 1namedata[%d]* | regexp3 = 2blankname[%d]* | regexp4 = 2namedata[%d]* | regexp5 = 3blankname[%d]* | regexp6 = 3namedata[%d]* | regexp7 = 4blankname[%d]* | regexp8 = 4namedata[%d]* | regexp9 = 5blankname[%d]* | regexp10 = 5namedata[%d]* | allegiance | alma_mater | regexp11 = alongside[%d]* | alt | regexp12 = ambassador_from[%d]* | regexp13 = appointed[%d]* | regexp14 = appointer[%d]* | regexp15 = assembly[%d]* | awards | battles | battles_label | birth_date | birth_name | birth_place | birthname | regexp16 = blank[%d]* | bodyclass | branch | branch_label | cabinet | candidate | caption | categories | regexp17 = chancellor[%d]* | children | citizenship | regexp18 = co%-leader[%d]* | commands | committees | regexp19 = constituency[%d]* | regexp20 = constituency_AM[%d]* | regexp21 = constituency_MP[%d]* | regexp22 = convocation[%d]* | regexp23 = country[%d]* | regexp24 = data[%d]* | date | death_cause | death_date | death_manner | death_place | demo | regexp25 = deputy[%d]* | regexp26 = district[%d]* | education | election_date | embed | father | regexp28 = firstminister[%d]* | footnotes | regexp29 = governor[%d]* | regexp30 = governor_general[%d]* | regexp31 = governor%-general[%d]* | height | honorific_prefix | honorific-prefix | honorific_suffix | honorific-suffix | image | image name | image_name_alt | image_size | imagesize | image_upright | incumbent | regexp32 = jr/sr[%d]* | regexp33 = jr/sr and state[%d]* | known_for | regexp34 = leader[%d]* | regexp35 = legislature[%d]* | regexp36 = lieutenant[%d]* | regexp37 = lieutenant_governor[%d]* | mainwidth | regexp38 = majority[%d]* | regexp39 = majority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp40 = majority_leader[%d]* | regexp41 = majorityleader[%d]* | mawards | regexp42 = military_blank[%d]* | regexp43 = military_data[%d]* | regexp44 = minister[%d]* | regexp45 = minister_from[%d]* | regexp46 = minority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp47 = minority_leader[%d]* | regexp48 = minorityleader[%d]* | regexp49 = module[%d]* | regexp50 = monarch[%d]* | mother | name | nationality | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nocat | regexp51 = nominator[%d]* | nominee | occupation | regexp52 = office[%d]* | opponent | regexp53 = order[%d]* | otherparty | parents | regexp54 = parliament[%d]* | regexp55 = parliamentarygroup[%d]* | partner | party | party_election | portfolio | regexp56 = preceded[%d]* | regexp57 = preceding[%d]* | regexp58 = predecessor[%d]* | regexp59 = premier[%d]* | regexp60 = president[%d]* | regexp61 = primeminister[%d]* | regexp62 = prior_term[%d]* | profession | pronunciation | rank | rank_label | relations | relatives | residence | resting_place | resting_place_coordinates | restingplace | restingplacecoordinates | regexp63 = riding[%d]* | runningmate | salary | serviceyears | serviceyears_label | signature | signature_alt | signature_size | smallimage | smallimage_alt | source | speaker | speaker_office | spouse | spouses | regexp64 = state[%d]* | regexp65 = state_assembly[%d]* | regexp66 = state_delegate[%d]* | regexp67 = state_house[%d]* | regexp68 = state_legislature[%d]* | regexp69 = state_senate[%d]* | regexp70 = status[%d]* | regexp71 = suboffice[%d]* | regexp72 = subterm[%d]* | regexp73 = succeeded[%d]* | regexp74 = succeeding[%d]* | regexp75 = successor[%d]* | regexp76 = taoiseach[%d]* | regexp77 = term[%d]* | regexp78 = term_end[%d]* | regexp79 = term_label[%d]* | regexp80 = term_start[%d]* | regexp81 = termend[%d]* | regexp82 = termlabel[%d]* | regexp83 = termstart[%d]* | regexp84 = title[%d]* | unit | unit_label | regexp85 = vicegovernor[%d]* | regexp86 = vicepremier[%d]* | regexp87 = vicepresident[%d]* | regexp88 = viceprimeminister[%d]* | regexp89 = assuming[%d]* | website | width | year }}

Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (born Florence Delorez Griffith;<ref name=AA>Template:Cite book</ref> December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump. He was also her coach and husband during her success as a four-time Olympic medalist. They were married in 1987 until the time of her death, in 1998. They had one daughter together, Mary Joyner. Griffith Joyner set world records in 1988 for the 100 m and 200 m. During the late 1980s, she became a popular figure due to both her record-setting athleticism and eclectic personal style.

Griffith Joyner was born and raised in California. She was athletic from a young age and began running at track meets as a child. While attending California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she continued to compete in track and field. While still in college, she qualified for the 100 m 1980 Olympics but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott. She made her Olympic debut four years later, winning a silver medal in the 200 meter distance at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. At the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, Griffith set a new world record in the 100-meter sprint. She won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympics.

In February 1989, Griffith Joyner abruptly retired from athletics. She remained a pop culture figure through endorsement deals, acting, and designing. In 1998, at age 38, she died in her sleep during an epileptic seizure caused by a birth defect. Griffith Joyner is buried at the El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest.

Early lifeEdit

Griffith was born in Los Angeles, California, the seventh of eleven children born to Robert, an electrician, and Florence Griffith, a seamstress.<ref name=AA/><ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The family lived in Littlerock, California, before Florence Griffith moved with her children to the Jordan Downs public housing complex located in the Watts section of Los Angeles.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

When Griffith was in elementary school, she joined the Sugar Ray Robinson Organization, running in track meets on weekends.<ref name=":3" /> She won the Jesse Owens National Youth Games two years in a row, at the ages of 14 and 15.<ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Griffith ran track at Jordan High School in Los Angeles.<ref name=":3" />

Showing an early interest in fashion, Griffith persuaded the members of the track team to wear tights with their uniforms.<ref name=":4" /> As a high school senior in 1978, she finished sixth at the CIF California State Meet behind future teammates Alice Brown and Pam Marshall.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By the time she graduated from Jordan High School in 1978, she had set high-school records in sprinting and long jump.<ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CareerEdit

Griffith attended CSUN, and was on the track team coached by Bob Kersee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This team, which included Brown and Jeanette Bolden,<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> won the national championship during Griffith's first year of college.<ref name=":7" /> Griffith had to drop out to support her family, taking a job as a bank teller. Kersee found financial aid for her and returned to college in 1980, this time at UCLA where Kersee was working as a coach.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />

Brown, Bolden, and Griffith qualified for the 100-meter final at the trials for the 1980 Summer Olympics (with Brown winning and Griffith finishing last in the final). Griffith also ran the 200 meters, narrowly finishing fourth, a foot out of a qualifying position.<ref name=":4" /> However, the U.S. Government had already decided to boycott those Olympic Games mooting those results.<ref name="r1">Hymans, R. (2008) The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field Template:Webarchive. USA Track & Field. usatf.org</ref> In 1983, Griffith graduated from UCLA with her bachelor's degree in psychology.<ref name=":7" />

Olympic runnerEdit

File:Florence Griffith and Valerie Brisco-Hooks, 1984.jpg
Florence Griffith Joyner (left) with Valerie Brisco-Hooks at the 1984 Olympic Trials.

Griffith finished fourth in the 200-meter sprint at the first World Championship in Athletics in 1983.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the next year, she qualified for the Olympics in the 200-meter distance with the second fastest time at the United States Olympic Trials, held in Los Angeles.<ref name=":16">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Evelyn Ashford, another UCLA alumna and early favorite to medal,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> dropped out of the 200-meter due to injury.<ref name=":16" /> Griffith went on to win a silver medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics, coming in second behind teammate Valerie Brisco-Hooks.<ref name=":7" />

After the 1984 Olympic Games, she spent less time running.<ref name=":15" /> Griffith continued to run part-time,<ref name=":15" /> winning the 100-meter IAAF Grand Prix Final with the time of 11.00 seconds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She did not compete at the 1985 U.S. National Championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That same year, she returned to working at a bank and styled hair and nails in her spare time.<ref name=":7" /> She married Al Joyner, the Olympic triple jump champion of 1984, in 1987.<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike" />

She returned to athletics in April 1987.<ref name=":14">Template:Cite news</ref> Four months later, at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Griffith Joyner finished second in the 200-meter sprint.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":14" /> Her success during the 1987 season resulted in being ranked second in Track and Field News' 1987 world rankings.<ref name=":12" /> The 200 meters remained a stronger event for her than the 100 meters, where she was ranked seventh in the United States.<ref name=":12" />

Before the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, Griffith Joyner continued to work with her coach and husband's brother-in-law, Kersee, two days a week, but with her new husband coaching her three days a week.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> She ran the 100 meter in 10.96-seconds at the 1987 Cologne Grand Prix Track and Field Meet, a personal best but the mark was not even in the top 40 of all time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":17" /> She continued to improve, again setting a personal best of 10.89 in the 100 meters in San Diego on June 25, 1988, but remained shy of the American record holder Evelyn Ashford's three best times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A week before the trials she ran a tune-up race in 10.99 in Santa Monica.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the first race of the quarterfinals of the U.S. Olympic Trials, she stunned her colleagues when she sprinted 100 meters in 10.49 seconds, a new world record by a margin of 0.27s over the previous record held by Evelyn Ashford.<ref name=":4" /> Over the two-day trials, Griffith Joyner recorded the three fastest times for a woman at 100 meters: 10.49 in the quarter-final, 10.70 in the semifinal, and 10.61 in the final.<ref name="Hersh, Phil" /><ref name=":14" /> At the same Olympic trials, she also set an American record at the 200-meter distance with a time of 21.77 seconds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The 100-meter record was by far the largest improvement in the world record time since the advent of electronic timing, and still stands. This extraordinary result raised the possibility of a technical malfunction with the wind gauge which read at 0.0 m/s - a reading at odds with the windy conditions on the day, with high wind speeds being recorded in all other sprints before and after this race as well as the parallel long jump runway at the time of the Griffith Joyner performance. All scientific studies commissioned by the IAAF and independent organizations have since found there was an illegal tailwind of between 5 m/s – 7 m/s at the time. The IAAF has not annulled the result, but since 1997 the International Athletics Annual of the Association of Track and Field Statisticians has listed it as "probably strongly wind assisted, but recognized as a world record."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The fastest non-wind-assisted performance would then be Griffith Joyner's 10.61s in the final the next day.<ref>Linthorne, N. (1995) The 100m World Record by Florence Griffith Joyner at the 1988 U.S Olympic Trials. Report for the International Amateur Athletic Federation Department of Physics, University of Western Australia</ref> This mark was equaled by Elaine Thompson-Herah in the 2020 Olympic Final before being surpassed by Thompson-Herah at the post-Olympics Eugene Diamond League meeting in August 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Thompson-Herah clocked 10.54 seconds, officially the second fastest time in women's 100 m history.Template:Citation needed

Following the Olympic trials, in late July 1988, Griffith Joyner left coach Kersee saying she wanted a coach able to provide more personal attention. Another contributing factor was her unhappiness with the lack of sponsorship and endorsement opportunities.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to being her coach, Kersee was Griffith Joyner's manager, as he required all the athletes he coached to use his management services too.<ref name=":11" /> Griffith Joyner's decision to sign with personal manager Gordon Baskin therefore necessitated the coaching change.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":8" /> She left UCLA for UC Irvine with her husband serving as full-time coach.<ref name=":1" />

By then known to the world as "Flo-Jo", Griffith Joyner was the big favorite for the titles in the sprint events at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In the 100-meter final, she ran a 10.54, beating her nearest rival to the world record, Evelyn Ashford, by 0.30 seconds. In the 200 meter semifinal, she set the world record of 21.56 seconds and then broke this record by 0.22 seconds in winning the final with a time of 21.34 seconds.<ref name="sr" /> Like her 100-meter world record, this mark still stands.Template:Citation needed

At the same Olympics, Griffith Joyner also ran with the 4 × 100 m relay and the 4 × 400 m relay teams. Her team won the 4 × 100 m relay and finished second in the 4 × 400 m relay.<ref name=":15">Template:Cite news</ref> This was her first internationally rated 4 × 400 m relay. She left the games having won four Olympic medals, three gold and one silver.<ref name=":13">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, her medal haul was the second most for female track and field athlete in history, behind only Fanny Blankers-Koen who won four gold medals in 1948.<ref name=":13" />

In February 1989, Griffith Joyner announced her retirement from racing.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She cited her new business opportunities outside of sprinting.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> The month after announcing her retirement, she was selected as the winner of the James E. Sullivan Award of 1988 as the top amateur athlete in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Comeback attempt and other activitiesEdit

Griffith Joyner's success at the 1988 Olympics led to new opportunities.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":10">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the weeks following the Olympics, she earned millions of dollars from endorsement deals, primarily in Japan. She also signed a deal with toy maker LJN Toys for a Barbie-like doll in her likeness.<ref name=":8" />

File:Florence Griffith Joyner.jpg
Griffith Joyner with President Ronald Reagan after the 1988 Olympics.

In 1989, Griffith Joyner designed the basketball uniforms for the Indiana Pacers NBA team.<ref name=":7" /> She made a guest appearance as herself on a season 4 episode of 227. In 1992, she appeared in the soap opera Santa Barbara as "Terry Holloway", a photographer similar to Annie Leibovitz.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She served as co-chair of President's Council on Physical Fitness between 1993 and 1998.<ref name=":15" />

In 1996, Griffith Joyner appeared on Charlie Rose and announced her comeback to competitive athletics, concentrating on the 400-meter run.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her reason was that she had already set world marks in both the 100 m and 200 m events, with the 400 m world record being her goal. She trained steadily leading up to the U.S. Olympic trials in June. However, tendinitis in her right leg ended her hopes of becoming a triple-world-record holder.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

StyleEdit

Beyond her running prowess, Griffith Joyner was known for her bold fashion choices.<ref name="Hersh, Phil" /><ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out">Template:Cite news</ref> She appeared at the World Championships in 1987 in Rome wearing a hooded speed skating body suit.<ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out"/><ref name="Rowbottom, Mike">Template:Cite news</ref> In April 1988, she started wearing a running suit with the right leg of the suit extending to the ankle and the left leg of the suit cut off, a style she called the "one-legger".<ref name="Hersh, Phil">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out"/><ref name="Rowbottom, Mike" /> The running suits had bold colors such as lime green and purple with white bikini bottoms and were embellished with lightning bolts.<ref name="Hersh, Phil" />

Her nails also garnered attention for their length and designs.<ref name="Hersh, Phil" /><ref name="Rowbottom, Mike" /> Her nails were four inches long with tiger stripes at the 1988 Olympic trials before switching to fuchsia.<ref name="Hersh, Phil" /> For the Olympic games themselves, she had six inch nails painted red, white, blue, and gold.<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike" /> Although many sprinters avoided accessories which might slow them down, Griffith Joyner kept her hair long and wore jewelry while competing.<ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out" /> She designed many of her outfits herself and preferred looks which were not conventional.<ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out" />

Allegations of performance-enhancing drug useEdit

After her record-shattering performances at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, she became an object of suspicion when she arrived at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.<ref name="CNN Montague"/> Athletes, including Joaquim Cruz and Ben Johnson, expressed disbelief over Griffith Joyner's dramatic improvement over a short period of time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before the 1988 track and field season, her best time in the 100-meter sprint was 10.96 seconds (set in 1987). In 1988, she improved that by 0.47 seconds.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Her best before 1988 at 200 meters was 21.96 seconds (also set in 1987). In 1988, she improved that by 0.62 seconds to 21.34 seconds, another time that has not been approached. Griffith Joyner attributed the change in her physique to new health programs.<ref name="speed-glamour-doubt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Al Joyner replaced Bob Kersee as her coach, and he changed her training program to include more lower body strength training exercises such as squats and lunges.<ref name="dreamchaser">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In a 1989 story for which he was purportedly paid $25,000,<ref name=tribune>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Darrell Robinson, a former teammate of Griffith Joyner, claimed that he sold her 10 mL of growth hormone for $2,000 in 1988. He said Joyner told him: "if you want to make $1 million, you've got to invest some thousands."<ref name="speed-glamour-doubt"/> Robinson claimed to have received steroids from coach Bob Kersee and said he saw Carl Lewis inject himself with drugs he believed to be testosterone.<ref name=tribune/> In 1990, Lewis alleged in his autobiography that Griffith Joyner had used drugs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Neither Robinson nor Lewis provided evidence for their allegations, and Robinson was shunned by the athletics community, leading to the premature end of his career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the 1988 Olympics, Griffith Joyner retired from competitive track and field, a year before the introduction of mandatory random drug testing in 1989.<ref name="CNN Montague">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="uneasy"/> She was repeatedly tested during competition and passed every test.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After her death in 1998, Prince Alexandre de Merode, who held the controversial position as chairman of the International Olympic Committee's medical commission,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> claimed that Griffith Joyner was singled out for extra, rigorous drug testing during the 1988 Olympic Games following rumors of steroid use. De Merode told The New York Times that Manfred Donike, who was at that time considered to be the foremost expert on drugs and sports, failed to discover any banned substances during that testing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The World Anti-Doping Agency was created in the 1990s, removing control of drug testing from the IOC and De Merode. De Merode later stated: "We performed all possible and imaginable analyses on her. We never found anything. There should not be the slightest suspicion."<ref name="CNN Montague" />

Personal life and deathEdit

Griffith's nickname among her family was "Dee Dee".<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":3" /> She was briefly engaged to hurdler Greg Foster.<ref name=":6" /> In 1987, Griffith married 1984 Olympic triple-jump champion Al Joyner, whom Griffith had first met at the 1980 Olympic Trials.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Through her marriage to Joyner she was sister-in-law to track and field athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref> Griffith and Joyner had one daughter together, Mary Ruth Joyner, born November 15, 1990.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":17">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DeathEdit

On September 21, 1998, Griffith Joyner died in her sleep at home in the Canyon Crest neighborhood of Mission Viejo, California, at the age of 38. The unexpected death was investigated by the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner's office, which on September 22 declared the cause of death to be suffocation during a severe epileptic seizure.<ref name="uneasy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Griffith Joyner was found to have had a cavernous hemangioma, a congenital vascular brain abnormality that made her subject to seizures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to a family attorney, she had a tonic-clonic seizure in 1990 and had been treated for seizures in 1993 and 1994. According to the Sheriff-Coroner's office, the only drugs in her system when she died were small amounts of two common over-the-counter drugs, acetaminophen and the antihistamine Benadryl.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

LegacyEdit

File:Florence Joyner plaque MV.jpg
A plaque honoring Griffith Joyner at Florence Joyner Olympiad Park in Mission Viejo, California.

USA Track & Field inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 1995.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2000, the 102nd Street School in Los Angeles was renamed Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School. Griffith Joyner had attended the school as a child.<ref name=":2" /> The city of Mission Viejo dedicated a park at the entrance to her neighborhood in her honor.<ref>Florence Joyner Olympiad Park Template:Webarchive. Google.com. Retrieved on June 30, 2014.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Griffith Joyner was also an artist and painter. Her work has been on display as part the Art of The Olympians (AOTO). She is one of two posthumous members of AOTO, the other being the founder and Olympian, Al Oerter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In TimeTemplate:'s 2020 list of the most influential women of the past century, she was named Woman of the Year for 1988.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

AwardsEdit

World Athlete of the Year (Women)：1988<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

StatisticsEdit

To date, her 1988 200 m world and Olympic record (21.34) as well as her 100 m world record (10.49) still stand, making her the only female athlete to hold simultaneous records. Her 100 m Olympic record (10.62) was beaten in 2021 at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo by Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.61).

Olympic Games and trials resultsEdit

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Race Venue Date Round Time Wind WR
100 m Indianapolis July 16, 1988 Qualifying heat 10.60w +3.2
100 m Indianapolis July 16, 1988 Quarter-final 10.49 0.0Template:Refn WR
100 m Indianapolis July 17, 1988 Semi-final 10.70 +1.6
100 m Indianapolis July 17, 1988 Final 10.61 +1.2
100 m Seoul September 24, 1988 Qualifying heat 10.88 +1.0
100 m Seoul September 24, 1988 Quarter-final 10.62 +1.0
100 m Seoul September 25, 1988 Semi-final 10.70w +2.6
100 m Seoul September 25, 1988 Final 10.54w +3.0
200 m Indianapolis July 22, 1988 Qualifying heat 21.96 +0.6
200 m Indianapolis July 22, 1988 Quarter-final 21.77 −0.1
200 m Indianapolis July 23, 1988 Semi-final 21.90w +2.4
200 m Indianapolis July 23, 1988 Final 21.85 +1.3
200 m Seoul September 28, 1988 Qualifying heat 22.51 ?
200 m Seoul September 28, 1988 Quarter-final 21.76 +0.7
200 m Seoul September 29, 1988 Semi-final 21.56 +1.7 WR
200 m Seoul September 29, 1988 Final 21.34 +1.3 WR
100 m relay ( 4 × 100 m relay ) Seoul October 1, 1988 Semi-Final (team time 42.12)
100 m relay ( 4 × 100 m relay ) Seoul October 1, 1988 Final (team time 41.98)
400 m relay split ( 4 × 400 m relay ) Seoul October 1, 1988 Final 48.08
(team time 3:15.51)

International competitionsEdit

Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
1983 World Championships Template:Flagicon Helsinki 4th 200 m 22.46 wind +1.5

Season's bestsEdit

Year 100 meters 200 meters 400 meters
1982 11.12 22.39 —
1983 11.06 22.23 50.94
1984 10.99 22.04 —
1985 11.00 22.50 50.89
1986 11.42 23.51 —
1987 10.96 21.96 —
1988 10.49 21.34 52.50

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

Template:Reflist Template:Notelist

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project 

 | name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=0431647|2=^nm}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | nm0431647/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
   | name/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+%0A++++++%7C+%7B%7B%7Bname%7D%7D%7D%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
   }}
 }}{{#if: 0431647  {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch: 
 | award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
 }}}} {{#if: 
 | {{{name}}}
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at IMDb{{#if: 0431647{{#property:P345}}
 | Template:EditAtWikidata
 | Template:Main other

}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=0431647|plain=false}} 

 | 1 | 3 =  Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
 | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}

|CitationClass=web }}

    • {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}

  • {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}

Template:S-start Template:S-ach Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-inc Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-inc Template:S-ach Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-sports Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end

{{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} Template:Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Women Template:Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Women Template:IAAF World Athlete of the Year (women) Template:Sullivan Award winners Template:Footer USA Track & Field 1984 Summer Olympics Template:Footer USA Track & Field 1988 Summer Olympics Template:Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year navbox Template:L'Équipe Champion of Champions

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Florence_Griffith_Joyner&oldid=48034"