Griffith Joyner, Florence

Impact on the world

Set world records in the 100-meter (10.49 seconds) and 200-meter (21.34 seconds) sprints at the 1988 Seoul Olympics that remain unbroken decades later, winning three gold medals at the Games while becoming a global cultural icon for both her speed and her distinctive personal style.

Life & background

Raised in the Jordan Downs public housing complex in Watts, Los Angeles as the seventh of eleven children, Griffith Joyner had to drop out of college twice to work as a bank teller before her coach secured financial aid that allowed her to continue competing. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she set world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints that remain unbroken decades later, winning three gold medals and becoming a global icon known for both her unprecedented speed and her flamboyant personal style, including long fingernails and colorful track suits that she had practiced doing herself for friends while working at the bank.

Sources

1. Olympics.com (IOC); Encyclopædia Britannica; USA Track & Field (Hall of Fame)