Al Joyner facts for kids
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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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Alfrederick Joyner (born January 19, 1960) is an American track and field coach and a former athlete. He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Al Joyner is famous for winning a gold medal in the triple jump at the 1984 Olympic Games. He was also the coach and husband of the amazing Olympic medalist Florence Griffith Joyner. Plus, he is the brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won six Olympic medals!
Al Joyner's Amazing Career
Al Joyner was a fantastic athlete at Lincoln High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. After high school, he went to Arkansas State University. He was a star on their track and field team.
During his college years, Al Joyner achieved a lot. He was a three-time NCAA All-American indoor champion. He also won three NCAA All-American and outdoor champion titles. He was a four-time champion in the Southland Conference. He even placed 8th in the triple jump at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Joyner was also good at sprint hurdles. He finished second in the 60 yards hurdles at the 1986 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He also tried out the five-event athletics pentathlon.
In 1984, Al Joyner went to Los Angeles for the Summer Olympic Games. He was part of the U.S. Olympic track and field team. He made an incredible jump of 56 feet 7.5 inches. This jump helped him become the first African American in 80 years to win a gold medal in the triple jump. 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 also competed. She won a silver medal in the heptathlon. This made Al and Jackie the first brother and sister from the U.S. to win medals at the same Olympics!
On October 10, 1987, Al Joyner married fellow track athlete Florence Griffith. She later became famous as Flo-Jo. They first met in 1980 at the Olympic trials. 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. Florence Griffith-Joyner sadly passed away in 1998.
After his wife's passing, Al Joyner started traveling. He helped promote her book, Running for Dummies. He also worked to start the Florence Griffith Joyner charity and scholarship fund. He began leading the Flo Jo Community Empowerment Foundation. This group helps young people around the world achieve their dreams. One dollar from every sale of Running for Dummies goes to this foundation.
Al Joyner has been honored many times. He was put 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.
For the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, SportsToday.com hired Joyner. He wrote articles about track and field for them. At that time, he was also coaching two athletes. They were hoping to join the 2000 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. Al Joyner himself was training to compete in the men's triple jump trials. However, a knee injury stopped him from participating.
From 1999 to 2003, Joyner worked at the University of California UCLA in Los Angeles. He was an assistant coach for the women's jumps team. In 2005, he coached the USOC Paralympics team in Helsinki. His team won 16 out of the 30 medals the USA team earned. In 2005, he joined the USATF/USOC coaching staff. By 2007, he became the full-time USOC high performance jump coach.
Major 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 | |
Images for kids
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Al Joyner plaque at Florence Joyner Olympiad Park in Mission Viejo, California
See also
In Spanish: Al Joyner para niños
