Jackie Joyner-Kersee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Joyner-Kersee in 2014
Personal information
Born	Jacqueline Joyner (1962-03-03) March 3, 1962 (age 63) East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in
Weight	154 lb
Sport
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 Women's athletics Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Heptathlon Gold 1988 Seoul Long jump Gold 1992 Barcelona Heptathlon Silver 1984 Los Angeles Heptathlon Bronze 1992 Barcelona Long jump Bronze 1996 Atlanta Long jump World Championships Gold 1987 Rome Long jump Gold 1987 Rome Heptathlon Gold 1991 Tokyo Long jump Gold 1993 Stuttgart Heptathlon Goodwill Games Gold 1986 Moscow Heptathlon  Gold 1990 Seattle Heptathlon Gold 1994 Saint Petersburg Heptathlon Gold 1998 New York Heptathlon Pan American Games Gold 1987 Indianapolis Long jump

Jacqueline "Jackie" Joyner-Kersee, born on March 3, 1962, is an amazing American athlete. She competed in track and field events like the heptathlon and long jump. Jackie won six Olympic medals: three gold, one silver, and two bronze.

She also earned four gold medals at the World Championships. Since 1988, Jackie has held the world record for the heptathlon, which is a very tough event!

Early Life and Inspiration

Jackie Joyner was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. She was named after Jacqueline Kennedy, who was the First Lady of the United States at the time.

When she was in high school, Jackie was already a talented athlete. She made it to the finals in the long jump at the 1980 Olympic Trials.

Jackie was inspired to try many different track and field events after watching a movie about Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Babe was a famous athlete who played track, basketball, and golf. Years later, Jackie was voted the greatest female athlete of all time by Sports Illustrated for Women magazine.

College Years at UCLA

Jackie went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1980 to 1985. There, she was a star in both track and field and basketball.

In basketball, she was a starting player for most of her time at UCLA. She scored over 1,100 points during her college basketball career.

Jackie was recognized as one of the top 15 players in UCLA women's basketball history in 1998. In 2001, she was voted the "Top Woman Collegiate Athlete of the Past 25 Years."

For track, Jackie won the Broderick Award twice, which goes to the best female college track and field athlete. She also won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1985, given to the best female college athlete in the nation. Jackie graduated from UCLA in 1986 with a degree in history.

Jackie's Amazing Competitions

Joyner-Kersee at the 1988 Olympic Trials

Jackie Joyner-Kersee competed in many major events, showing her incredible talent.

1984 Summer Olympics

Jackie competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She won a silver medal in the heptathlon. She also finished fifth in the long jump event.

1986 Goodwill Games

At the 1986 Goodwill Games, Jackie made history. She became the first woman to score over 7,000 points in a heptathlon event. This was a huge achievement! In 1986, she also received the James E. Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete in the United States.

1988 Summer Olympics: Making History

After marrying her coach, Bob Kersee, she became Jackie Joyner-Kersee. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, she won two gold medals.

She won gold in both the heptathlon and the long jump. In the heptathlon, she set a world record of 7,291 points, which is still the record today! A few days later, she won her second gold medal in the long jump. She set an Olympic record by jumping 7.40 meters (about 24 feet, 3 inches).

Jackie was the first American woman to win a gold medal in both the long jump and the heptathlon.

1991 World Championships

During the long jump at the 1991 World Championships, Jackie had already won the event. However, she slipped during a jump and hurt her hamstring. This injury made her withdraw from the heptathlon competition.

1992 Summer Olympics

At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Jackie won her second Olympic gold medal in the heptathlon. She also earned a bronze medal in the long jump. Her friend, Heike Drechsler of Germany, won the gold in that event.

1996 Summer Olympics

Before the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Jackie injured her right hamstring again. She tried to compete in the heptathlon but had to withdraw due to pain.

However, she recovered enough to compete in the long jump. Her final jump of 7.00 meters (about 23 feet) earned her a bronze medal.

Professional Basketball

In 1996, Jackie also played professional basketball. She joined the Richmond Rage in the American Basketball League. She played in 17 games for the team.

1998 Goodwill Games

Jackie returned to track and field in 1998. She won the heptathlon at the Goodwill Games that year, scoring 6,502 points.

2000 Olympic Trials

Two years after she had retired, Jackie tried to qualify for the long jump at the 2000 Olympics. She placed sixth in the trials, but did not make the Olympic team.

Life After Athletics

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is also known for her work helping others. She cares a lot about children's education, fairness for everyone, and women's rights.

She started the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation. This foundation helps young people in East St. Louis, Illinois get involved in sports and do well in school. She also worked with Comcast to create the Internet Essentials program. This program helps low-income families get high-speed internet.

In 2007, Jackie helped start Athletes for Hope. This group helps professional athletes use their fame to support good causes. It also inspires other people to volunteer and help their communities.

Jackie has also served on the board of directors for USA Track & Field, which is the main group for track and field in the U.S.

Awards and Honors

Joyner-Kersee at a book signing in 1996

Jackie Joyner-Kersee has received many awards and honors for her amazing career:

• 1983 and 1985: Broderick Award (now Honda Sports Award)
• 1986: James E. Sullivan Award
• 1986 and 1987: Jesse Owens Award
• 1994: World Athlete of the Year (Women)
• 1997: Jack Kelly Fair Play Award
• 2000: Inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
• 2005: Awarded the Order of Lincoln, Illinois' highest honor
• 2010: NCAA Silver Anniversary Awards honoree
• 2011: Dick Enberg Award
• 2021: Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Webster University
• 2023: Inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame

In 2013, the female Jesse Owens Award was renamed the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award in her honor. This award goes to the top female track and field athlete in the United States each year.

World Records and Personal Bests

Jackie Joyner-Kersee holds the world record in the heptathlon. She also has the top six best scores ever recorded in the event! Her long jump record of 7.49 meters is the second-longest jump of all time.

Heptathlon World Record (1988)

Here are her performances when she set the world record in 1988:

Personal Best Scores

• 100 metres hurdles: 12.61 seconds
• Long jump: 7.49 meters (This is the second-best jump ever!)
• High jump: 1.93 meters
• 200 m: 22.30 seconds
• Shot put: 16.84 meters
• Javelin throw: 50.12 meters
• 800 m: 2 minutes, 8.51 seconds

TV Appearances

In 2000, Jackie Joyner-Kersee played herself in an episode of The Jersey. In the show, a character uses a magical jersey to jump into her body.

In 2023, Jackie appeared on the PBS show "Groundbreakers." She talked with other female athletes about their achievements in women's sports.

Family Life

Jackie's brother is Al Joyner, who is also an Olympic champion in the triple jump. Al was married to another Olympic track star, Florence Griffith Joyner. Jackie married her track coach, Bob Kersee, in 1986.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee has dealt with severe asthma throughout her sports career. She is also an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

External Links

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• Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the USATF Hall of Fame
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• Jackie Joyner-Kersee at Olympics.com (archived: OlympicChannel.com and Olympic.org)Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee at OlympediaLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
• The Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation, which helps children and adults in the East St. Louis, Illinois/St. Louis, Missouri area

Jackie Joyner-Kersee Quotes

• "It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret."
• "The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is you."
• "Don't follow in any footprints, make your own prints. Because, you are the future of tomorrow."
• "I maintained my edge by always being a student; you will always have something new to learn."
• "If I stop to kick every barking dog I am not going to get where I'm going."
• "Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind."

See also

In Spanish: Jackie Joyner-Kersee para niños