Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greats in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time. She served on the board of directors for USA Track & Field (U.S.A.T.F.), the national governing body of the sport.
Joyner-Kersee in 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Jacqueline Joyner March 3, 1962 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 154 lb (70 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Long jump, heptathlon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | UCLA (1980–1985) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Tiger World Class Athletic Club West Coast Athletic Club McDonald's Track Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Joyner-Kersee is an active philanthropist in children's education, racial equality and women's rights. She is a founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which encourages young people in East St. Louis to pursue athletics and academics. She collaborated with Comcast to create the Internet Essentials program in 2011, which provides high-speed internet access to low-income Americans.
Joyner-Kersee is one of the most famous athletes to have overcome severe asthma. In March 2023, she was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.