Al Joyner facts for kids
Alfrederick Joyner (born January 19, 1960) is an American track and field coach and former athlete. He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. He won a gold medal in the triple jump at the 1984 Olympics.
Joyner was also the coach and husband of the famous athlete Florence Griffith Joyner, who won four Olympic medals. He is also the brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won six Olympic medals.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alfrederick A. Joyner | |||||||||||||
| Born | January 19, 1960 (age 65) East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | Arkansas State University | |||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Florence Griffith Joyner | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Contents
Al Joyner's Amazing Sports Journey
Al Joyner was a fantastic athlete at Lincoln High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. He then went to Arkansas State University. While in college, he was a star on their track and field team.
He became a three-time NCAA All-American indoor champion. He was also a three-time NCAA All-American and outdoor champion. Joyner won the Southland Conference championship four times. He even placed 8th in the triple jump at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Joyner's Other Talents
Joyner was also very good at sprint hurdles. He finished second in the 60-yard hurdles at the 1986 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He also tried the five-event athletics pentathlon, which combines different track and field events.
Olympic Gold and Family History
In 1984, Joyner went to Los Angeles for the Summer Olympic Games. He was part of the U.S. Olympic track and field team. He made a huge jump of 56 feet 7.5 inches in the triple jump. This made him the first African American in 80 years to win a gold medal in this event.
He received the Jim Thorpe Award for his achievement. This award is given every four years to the best American in an Olympic Field Event. That same year, his sister Jackie Joyner-Kersee won a silver medal in the heptathlon. They became the first brother and sister teammates in U.S. history to win medals at the same Olympics.
Life with Florence Griffith Joyner
On October 10, 1987, Al Joyner married fellow track athlete Florence Griffith. She later became known as Flo-Jo. They first met in 1980 at the Olympic trials registration. Al later became his wife's coach.
Florence Griffith Joyner won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games. Their daughter, Mary Ruth, was born in 1990. Sadly, Florence Griffith Joyner passed away in 1998 at age 38 from an epileptic seizure.
After his wife's death, Joyner traveled to promote her book, Running for Dummies. He also helped start the Florence Griffith Joyner charity and scholarship fund. He also led the Flo Jo Community Empowerment Foundation. This organization helps young people around the world achieve their dreams. One dollar from every sale of Running for Dummies goes to this foundation.
Coaching and Recognition
Al Joyner has been honored many times. He was inducted into the Arkansas State University Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1993. He also joined the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1997. In 1999, he was inducted into the Illinois Track and Field Hall of Fame.
He wrote columns about track and field for SportsToday.com during the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. At that time, he also coached two athletes who hoped to join the 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. He even trained to compete in the men's triple jump trials himself, but a knee injury stopped him.
From 1999 to 2003, Joyner was an assistant coach at the University of California UCLA. He coached women's jumps. In 2005, he coached the USOC Paralympics team in Helsinki. His team won 16 out of 30 medals for the USA. In 2005, he joined the USATF/USOC coaching staff. By 2007, he became the full-time USOC high performance jump coach.
Al Joyner's Main Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  United States |
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| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 8th | 16.76 m | |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 1st | 17.26 m | |
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 5th | 16.92 m | |
See also
In Spanish: Al Joyner para niños
