FloJo dies at age 38; heart condition suspected
Posted: Tuesday September 22, 1998 11:04 AM
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Florence Griffith Joyner died of a suspected heart ailment Allsport UK/Allsport |
MISSION VIEJO, California (AP) -- Florence Griffith Joyner, the
triple gold medalist at the 1988 Olympics who captivated the world
with her meteoric speed and flamboyant style, died Monday as the result of an
apparent cardiac condition. She was 38.
From the White House to fellow track stars, the sprinter known
as "FloJo" was mourned and remembered a decade after she turned
the women's sprints at the Seoul Games into her personal showcase.
"We were dazzled by her speed, humbled by her talent, and
captivated by her style," President Clinton said. "Though she
rose to the pinnacle of the world of sports, she never forgot where
she came from, devoting time and resources to helping children -
especially those growing up in our most devastated neighborhoods -
make the most of their own talents."
Griffith Joyner was the wife of 1984 Olympic triple-jump gold
medalist Al Joyner and the sister-in-law of Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
the six-time Olympic medalist and world heptathlon record-holder.
The Orange County sheriff's office said a 911 call was received
early today from Al Joyner, who reported his wife was
"unresponsive and not breathing."
"She had passed away during the night," said spokesman Lt.
Hector Rivera.
An autopsy was scheduled.
Griffith Joyner had suffered from a cardiac condition two years ago on a
flight to St. Louis.
"We lost one of the great track and field athletes in
history," said Greg Foster, a three-time world champion in the 110-meter hurdles. "She's going to be missed. It's definitely
a shock, a great loss."
In Monte Carlo, the IAAF, track's international federation, said
Griffith Joyner "left an imprint on athletics and sprinting, even
if for the past few years she had distanced herself from
athletics."
Ten years ago this week, Griffith Joyner turned the women's
sprints at the Seoul Olympics into her personal showcase.
Griffith Joyner still holds world records in the 100- and
200-meter dashes. She set the 100 mark of 10.49 seconds at the
quarterfinals of the 1988 Olympic trials at Indianapolis, and since
then, no one has even broken 10.60. At Seoul, she won the gold
medal in a wind-aided 10.54.
She then smashed the world 200 record in the Olympic final,
clocking 21.34. Marion Jones, with a 21.62 at the World Cup in
South Africa earlier this month, is the only other woman to run the
200 in under 21.70.
She also won a gold medal in the 400 relay and just missed a
fourth gold medal when the U.S. team finished second in the 1,600
relay, which Griffith Joyner anchored.
Not only did "FloJo" dazzle fans with her stunning speed, she
caught their attention with her colorful bodysuits and her 6-inch
decorated fingernails.
She also displayed a muscular physique, which prompted talk of
steroid use. Griffith Joyner insisted she never used performance
enhancers and she never failed a drug test.
At the 1988 trials, where she ran the three fastest 100-meter
times ever by a woman and set the American record in the 200, she
also set standards in track fashion.
One eye-catching outfit was a purple bodysuit with a turquoise
bikini brief over it, but with nothing on her left leg, a design
she referred to as a "one-legger."
Florence Griffith Joyner won three gold medals at the Olympics in Seoul Tony Duffy/Allsport | |
At the Olympics, she painted three of her fingernails red, white
and blue, and she painted a fourth gold to signify her goal.
At the 1987 World Championships in Rome, she caused a sensation
by running the first two rounds in a skintight suit similar to a
speedskater's togs.
But her health was a concern.
In 1996, she suffered from a heart ailment on an airplane flight from
California to St. Louis. She was hospitalized for one day, and the
family requested that no other details be released.
At the time, Griffith Joyner, accompanied by her husband and
daughter, Mary, was en route to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Relays for
high school athletes.
"The Olympic family is saddened and stunned by her passing,"
U.S. Olympic Committee president Bill Hybl said today. "She was a
role model for girls and young women in sports and her legacy will
be one that included kindness and an interest in children. She will
be missed."
Griffith Joyner was voted The Associated Press Female Athlete of
the Year for 1988 and also won the Sullivan Award as the nation's
top amateur athlete.
After retiring from track in the wake of the Seoul Games, she
served for a time as co-chair of the President's Council on
Physical Fitness.
She began designing and modeling clothes and working with
children, both through sports programs and a series of books.
She was preparing for a comeback as a 400-meter runner in 1996
when she said an Achilles tendon injury halted her hopes of
reaching the Olympics in Atlanta. She said the injury developed in
March 1996.
Later in 1996, she ended a five-year legal struggle by settling
lawsuits against her former lawyer and ex-manager.
Griffith Joyner had sued Gordon Baskin in December 1991,
claiming she hired him as a talent agent but later found out that
he was unlicensed and had prepared an unfair contract that
overcharged her.
A year later, Griffith Joyner sued her former lawyer, Rafael
Chodos, contending he failed to tell her he also was Baskin's
lawyer when he looked over the contract.
Griffith Joyner was born December 21, 1959, in south Los Angeles,
one of 11 children whose father was an electrical technician and
mother was a teacher.
She graduated from Jordan High School in Los Angeles in 1978,
attended Cal State Northridge for two years, then graduated from
UCLA in 1983 with a degree in psychology.
She married Al Joyner on October 10, 1987.
For many years, she was coached by Bob Kersee, husband of Jackie
Joyner-Kersee, but Al acted as her coach after the 1988 trials.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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