Jackie Joyner-Kersee facts for kids

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Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Joyner-Kersee in 2014

Personal information

Born

Jacqueline Joyner
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

Goodwill Games

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
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 Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American track and field athlete. She was amazing at both the heptathlon and long jump events. Jackie won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals. She earned these medals at four different Olympic Games!

Joyner-Kersee also won four gold medals at the World Championships. She won two gold medals in the heptathlon and two in the long jump. Since 1988, she has held the world record for the heptathlon, which is a really tough event.

Early Life and Inspiration

Jacqueline Joyner was born on March 3, 1962, in East St. Louis, Illinois. She was named after Jacqueline Kennedy, who was the First Lady of the United States. In high school, Jackie was already a talented athlete. She even made it to the finals in the long jump at the 1980 Olympic Trials.

Jackie was inspired to try multi-sport events after watching a movie about Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Babe was a famous athlete who excelled in track, basketball, and golf. She was even called the "Greatest Female Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century." Years later, Sports Illustrated for Women magazine named Jackie Joyner-Kersee the greatest female athlete of all time!

College Years at UCLA

Jackie Joyner went to college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She was a star in both track and field and women's basketball from 1980 to 1985. She played as a starter in basketball for most of her college years. She even took a break from basketball in 1983-1984 to focus on training for the heptathlon for the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Jackie won the Broderick Award twice, which is given to the best female college track and field athlete. In 1985, she won the Honda-Broderick Cup, which goes to the best female college athlete in the whole country. She scored 1,167 points during her college basketball career. She was honored in 1998 as one of the 15 greatest players in UCLA women's basketball history. In 2001, she was voted the "Top Woman Collegiate Athlete of the Past 25 Years."

Olympic and World Championship Success

Joyner-Kersee at the 1988 Olympic Trials

Jackie Joyner-Kersee competed in many major events. She showed incredible skill and determination.

1984 Los Angeles Olympics

Jackie competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. She won a silver medal in the heptathlon. This event combines seven different track and field challenges. She also finished fifth in the long jump.

1986 Goodwill Games

At the 1986 Goodwill Games, Jackie made history. She was the first woman ever to score over 7,000 points in a heptathlon event! In the same year, she received the James E. Sullivan Award. This award goes to the top amateur athlete in the United States.

1988 Seoul Olympics

By the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Jackie was married to her coach, Bob Kersee. She was now known as Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She won two gold medals at these Games! She earned gold in both the heptathlon and the long jump.

In the heptathlon, she set a world record of 7,291 points. This record still stands today! A few days later, she won her second gold medal. She leaped an Olympic record of 7.40 m (24 ft 3+1⁄4 in) in the long jump. Jackie was the first American woman to win a gold medal in both the long jump and the heptathlon.

1991 World Championships

Jackie was expected to win both her World titles again in 1991. She easily won the long jump with a 7.32 m (24 ft 1⁄4 in) jump. However, she strained her hamstring during the heptathlon. This injury forced her to stop competing in that event.

1992 Barcelona Olympics

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

1996 Atlanta Olympics

Before the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Jackie injured her right hamstring. She tried to compete in the heptathlon, but the pain was too much. She had to withdraw from the event.

However, she recovered enough to compete in the long jump. She qualified for the final and was in sixth place with one jump left. Her final jump of 7.00 m (22 ft 11+1⁄2 in) was good enough for a bronze medal! The Atlanta Olympics were Jackie's last Olympic Games.

Beyond the Track

Professional Basketball Career

In 1996, Jackie Joyner-Kersee tried something new. She signed to play professional basketball for the Richmond Rage. This team was part of the new American Basketball League. She played in 17 games and scored a high of 15 points in one game.

Return to Track and Retirement

Jackie returned to track and field in 1998. She won the heptathlon at the 1998 Goodwill Games. Two years later, she tried to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in the long jump. She finished sixth, and then officially retired from competitive athletics.

Giving Back to the Community

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is a big supporter of children's education, fairness for all, 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 school.

In 2011, she worked with Comcast to create the Internet Essentials program. This program helps families with lower incomes get high-speed internet access. In 2007, Jackie also helped start Athletes for Hope. This group helps professional athletes get involved in charity work. It also inspires many others to volunteer and help their communities.

She has also served on the board of directors for USA Track & Field. This is the main organization for track and field in the United States.

Awards and Special Honors

Jackie Joyner-Kersee at a book signing in 1996

Jackie Joyner-Kersee has received many awards for her amazing achievements:

1983 and 1985: Broderick Award (now Honda Sports Award)
1986: James E. Sullivan Award (top amateur athlete in the U.S.)
1986 and 1987: Jesse Owens Award
1988: Missouri Athletic Club Jack Buck Awards
1992: George Thomas "Mickey" Leland 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 from Webster University
2023: Inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame

The Jesse Owens Award is given to the best U.S. track and field athlete each year. In 2013, the female award was renamed the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award in her honor.

Amazing Records and Personal Bests

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

Here are some of her best performances:

100 metres hurdles : 12.61 seconds
Long jump : 7.49 meters (she did this twice!)
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, she appeared on the PBS show "Groundbreakers." She talked with other female athletes about their achievements in women's sports.

Personal Life

Jackie's brother is Al Joyner, who was an Olympic champion in the triple jump. Al was married to another Olympic track champion, Florence Griffith Joyner. Jackie married her track coach, Bob Kersee, in 1986. Jackie Joyner-Kersee managed to achieve all her athletic success even though she suffered from severe asthma throughout her career.

Why Jackie Joyner-Kersee is a Great Role Model

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is a fantastic role model for kids because she shows so many positive qualities:

Hard work and dedication: She trained tirelessly to become the best in the world.
Perseverance: She overcame challenges and setbacks to achieve her goals.
Sportsmanship: She competed with grace and respect for her opponents.
Generosity: She used her success to help others and give back to her community.
Positive attitude: She always maintained a positive outlook, even when things were difficult.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee shows us that we can achieve anything we set our minds to. We just need to work hard, stay focused, and never give up on our dreams. She is a true inspiration!

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."