Amazing Moments in Olympic History: Florence Griffith-Joyner

On July 16, 1988, Florence Griffith-Joyner set a world record of 10.49 seconds in the 100-meter sprint at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field. More than two months later, "Flo-Jo" set another world record. This time it was a 21.34 in the 200 at the Seoul Olympic Games.

Both of these records are still in the record books today, more than 20 years later, in 2009.

A Los Angeles native, Griffith-Joyner began running when she was 7, and she spent her time chasing jackrabbits in her backyard to increase her speed. Although she didn't come from much, she put academics first and managed to become a straight-A student. Sixteen years later, she graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a psychology degree.

Despite hype that the five-time Olympic medalist used illegal substances to acquire her world records, she currently still stands as the fastest woman in the world. Griffith-Joyner set a precedent for female athletes by demonstrating that they can be both feminine and athletic. She also became a role model for children who grew up in poverty-stricken housing projects (as she did) that they, too, can achieve great things in life.

Griffith-Joyner certainly achieved her fare share of great things.

Her Olympic career began in 1984 in her hometown of Los Angeles. There, she earned an Olympic silver medal in the 200. Four years later in Seoul, she struck gold three times. She won Olympic gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay, and captured a silver medal in the 4x400 relay.

Because of her accomplishments in 1988, Griffith-Joyner was the named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, the U.S. Olympic Committee Sportswoman of the Year, and the Jesse Owens Outstanding Track and Field Athlete.

Griffith-Joyner announced her retirement shortly after achieving her gold-medal milestones in Seoul. She wanted to pursue other interests, which included writing and fashion design, and she served as a co-chair on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1993 to 1995.

Griffith-Joyner came back to track, however, when she decided she wanted a medal in the 400. She began to train for the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, but she was unable to compete because of an injury to her right Achilles tendon.

Aside from her unsurpassed speed, the track star was known for her beauty, grace and style. Griffith-Joyner always wore long fingernails decorated in bright colors. In Seoul, she painted three of her fingernails red, white and blue and then painted a fourth gold representing her ultimate goal of capturing an Olympic gold medal. She also designed her trademark "one-legger" track outfits, and she frequently raced with her long hair down, not pulled back in a ponytail like most athletes. She took pride in standing out and being different from her peers.

Flo-Jo also was remembered for her storybook romance with her husband, Al Joyner. Joyner, the Olympic champion in the triple jump and the brother of Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, pursued Flo-Jo for years before he finally asked her out on a date. They married in 1987 and had their daughter, Mary, in 1990. He helped his wife train for the 1988 Games, and the two remained inseparable until she died in her sleep in 1998 at age 38.

The death of the sprint legend brought about endless controversy. Autopsy results revealed that she had suffocated as a result of an epileptic seizure. She had been treated for seizures at least three times in the previous 10 years, but experts said it was rare for someone to suffocate as a result of a seizure. She never tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Griffith-Joyner always will be remembered for her incredible blend of athleticism and beauty, a combination of femininity and speed. And the achievements she earned in 1988 could remain in the record books for many more years to come.