View source for Florence Griffith Joyner

{{short description|American track and field hurdle athlete (1959–1998)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Florence Griffith Joyner2.jpg
| caption             = Griffith Joyner in 1988
| office              = Co-chair of the [[President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition|President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports]]
| president           = [[Bill Clinton]]
| term_start          = 1993
| term_end            = 1998
| predecessor         = [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] (as chairman)
| successor           = [[Lee Haney]] (as chair)
| alongside           = [[Tom McMillen]]<ref>{{Cite web |author=Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |title=History of the Council |url=https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/presidents-council/history-council#WJC |publisher=[[Department of Health and Human Services]] |access-date=November 15, 2021 |date=August 24, 2021 |website=health.gov}}</ref>
| birth_name          = Florence Delorez Griffith<ref name=AA/>
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1959|12|21}}<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
| birth_place         = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1998|9|21|1959|12|21}}<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
| death_place         = [[Mission Viejo, California]], U.S.<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
| resting_place       = El Toro Memorial Park, [[Lake Forest, California]], U.S.
| module              = {{Infobox sportsperson
| embed          = yes
| name           = Florence Griffith Joyner
| image_size     = 
| caption        = Griffith Joyner in 1988
| full_name      = 
| nickname       = Flo-Jo<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
| event          = [[100 meters]], [[200 meters]]
| club           = Tiger World Class Athletic Club<br/>West Coast Athletic Club
| collegeteam    = 
| retired        = 1989
| height         = 5 ft 7 in<ref name="sports-reference.com">{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Florence Griffith Joyner |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/florence-griffith-joyner-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417040709/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/florence-griffith-joyner-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=October 28, 2020}}</ref>
| weight         = 126 lb<ref name="sports-reference.com"/>
| pb             = '''100 m''': 10.49 '''[[List of world records in athletics|WR]]'''{{refn|group=note|name=10.49}}<br/>'''200 m''': 21.34 '''[[List of world records in athletics|WR]]'''<br/>'''400 m''': 50.89<br/>'''4 × 100 m''': 41.55<br/>'''4 × 400 m''': 3:15.51 '''[[List of North American records in athletics#Women|AR]]'''
| national_team  = {{USA}}
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport|Women's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold |[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres|100 m]]}}
{{MedalGold |1988 Seoul | [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
{{MedalGold |1988 Seoul | [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver |1988 Seoul | [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[1987 World Championships in Athletics|1987 Rome]]|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver|1987 Rome|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
}}
}}

'''Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner'''<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitaker |first=Matthew C. |title=Icons of Black America: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries, Volume 1 |volume=1 |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37642-9 |page=520}}</ref> (born '''Florence Delorez Griffith''';<ref name="AA">{{cite book |last=Aaseng |first=Nathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iSxylfm58foC&q=florence+delorez+griffith&pg=PA91 |title=African-Jamaican Athletes |date=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Infobase |isbn=9781438107783 |access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref> December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as '''Flo-Jo''', was an American [[track and field]] athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded, setting world records in the [[100m]] and [[200m]] in 1988. She was married to [[Al Joyner]], a 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the [[triple jump]]. He was also her coach and husband during her success as a four-time Olympic medalist. During the late 1980s, she became a popular figure due to both her record-setting athleticism and eclectic personal style.

Griffith Joyner was born and raised in [[California]]. She was athletic from a young age and began running at track meets as a child. While attending [[California State University, Northridge]] (CSUN), and the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA), she continued to compete in track and field. While still in college, she qualified for the 100 m [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympics]] but did not compete due to the [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|U.S. boycott]]. She made her Olympic debut four years later, winning a silver medal in the 200-meter distance at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]] in Los Angeles. At the [[1988 United States Olympic trials (track and field)|1988 U.S. Olympic trials]], Griffith set a new world record in the 100-meter sprint. She won three gold medals at the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]].

In February 1989, Griffith Joyner abruptly retired from athletics. She remained a pop culture figure through endorsement deals, acting, and designing. In 1998, at age 38, she died in her sleep during an [[epileptic seizure]] caused by a birth defect. Griffith Joyner is buried at the El Toro Memorial Park in [[Lake Forest, California|Lake Forest]].

==Early life==
Griffith was born in [[Los Angeles]], California, the seventh of eleven children born to Robert, an electrician, and Florence Griffith, a seamstress.<ref name=AA/><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20099786,00.html |title=Flashy Florence Griffith Joyner Will Be the One to Watch—and Clock—in the Women's Sprints |date=August 29, 1988 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=July 22, 2016 |volume=30 |issue=9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914215523/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20099786,00.html |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The family lived in [[Littlerock, California]], before Florence Griffith moved with her children to the [[Jordan Downs]] public housing complex located in the [[Watts, Los Angeles|Watts]] section of Los Angeles.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-15-me-54154-story.html |title=School Renamed for Late Track Star Griffith Joyner |last=Briggs |first=Johnathon E. |date=January 15, 2000 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |issn=0458-3035 |access-date=July 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819102144/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/15/local/me-54154 |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url=http://lawattstimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=342:the-mother-behind-the-olympian-reveals-the-spirit-that-was-flo-jo&catid=12&Itemid=110 |title=The mother behind the Olympian reveals the spirit that was Flo Jo |last=Childs |first=Joy |date=August 10, 2012 |website=L.A. Watts Times |access-date=July 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705094757/http://lawattstimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=342:the-mother-behind-the-olympian-reveals-the-spirit-that-was-flo-jo&catid=12&Itemid=110 |archive-date=July 5, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

When Griffith was in elementary school, she joined the Sugar Ray Robinson Organization, running in track meets on weekends.<ref name=":3"/> She won the Jesse Owens National Youth Games two years in a row, at the ages of 14 and 15.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Kris |date=November 19, 2003 |title=ESPN Classic - FloJo sets 100 record at 1988 Olympic Trials |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/add_griffith_joyner_florence.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521075523/http://espn.go.com/classic/s/add_griffith_joyner_florence.html |archive-date=May 21, 2014 |access-date=July 24, 2016 |website=ESPN}}</ref> Griffith ran track at [[Jordan High School (Los Angeles, California)|Jordan High School]] in Los Angeles.<ref name=":3"/>

Showing an early interest in fashion, Griffith persuaded the members of the track team to wear tights with their uniforms.<ref name=":4"/> As a high school senior in 1978, she finished sixth at the [[CIF California State Meet]] behind future teammates [[Alice Brown (sprinter)|Alice Brown]] and [[Pam Marshall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |title=California State Meet Results – 1915 to present |publisher=prepcaltrack.com |access-date=December 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092406/http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> By the time she graduated from Jordan High School in 1978, she had set high-school records in sprinting and long jump.<ref name=":7">{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Kris |title=FloJo Made Speed Fashionable |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Griffith_Joyner_Florence.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606013739/http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Griffith_Joyner_Florence.html |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |access-date=June 24, 2011 |work=[[ESPN.com]] |quote=On Nov. 15, 1990, she gave birth to her only child, Mary Ruth Joyner.}}</ref>

==Career==
Griffith attended [[CSUN]], and was on the track team coached by [[Bob Kersee]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-29-sp-7928-story.html |title=Griffith-Joyner Leaves Kersee's Club; Times |journal=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035 |access-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820034527/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-29/sports/sp-7928_1_al-joyner |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/980928fond |title=Fond Memories of Griffith Joyner |last=Bennett |first=Bill |website=UCLA Newsroom |access-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917005315/http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/980928fond |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This team, which included Brown and [[Jeanette Bolden]],<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pasadenasportshalloffame.org/alice-brown.html |title=Alice Brown |website=Pasadena Sports Hall of Fame, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614021922/http://www.pasadenasportshalloffame.org/alice-brown.html |archive-date=June 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-30-sp-4971-story.html |title=Brown, Howard Reach Semifinals in Sprint Events |date=August 30, 1987 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 24, 2017 |issn=0458-3035 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305081443/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-30/sports/sp-4971_1_quarterfinals |archive-date=March 5, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> won the national championship during Griffith's first year of college.<ref name=":7"/> Griffith had to drop out to support her family, taking a job as a bank teller. Kersee found financial aid for her and she returned to college in 1980, this time at [[UCLA]] where Kersee was working as a coach.<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":0"/>

Brown, Bolden, and Griffith qualified for the 100-meter final at the trials for the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] (with Brown winning and Griffith finishing last in the final). Griffith also ran the 200 meters, narrowly finishing fourth, a foot out of a qualifying position.<ref name=":4"/> However, the [[U.S. Government]] had already decided to [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycott]] those Olympic Games mooting those results.<ref name="r1">Hymans, R. (2008) [http://www.legacy.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327114422/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf |date=March 27, 2016 }}. USA Track & Field. usatf.org</ref> In 1983, Griffith graduated from UCLA with her [[bachelor's degree]] in [[psychology]].<ref name=":7"/>

===Olympic runner===
[[File:Florence Griffith and Valerie Brisco-Hooks, 1984.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Florence Griffith Joyner (left) with [[Valerie Brisco-Hooks]] at the 1984 Olympic trials]]
Griffith finished fourth in the 200-meter sprint at the first [[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championship in Athletics]] in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/1st-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-3/results/women/200-metres/final/result |title=IAAF: 200 Metres Result {{!}} 1st IAAF World Championships in Athletics {{!}} iaaf.org|website=iaaf.org|access-date=August 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810023023/https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/1st-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-3/results/women/200-metres/final/result|archive-date=August 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In the next year, she qualified for the Olympics in the 200-meter distance with the second-fastest time at the [[1984 United States Olympic trials (track and field)|United States Olympic trials]], held in Los Angeles.<ref name=":16">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1984/07/02/620407/trials-and-jubilation |title=Trials And Jubilation |last=Moore |first=Kenny |date=July 2, 1984 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |access-date=August 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830104001/https://www.si.com/vault/1984/07/02/620407/trials-and-jubilation |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Evelyn Ashford]], another UCLA alumna and early favorite to medal,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/23/sports/the-grueling-road-of-evelyn-ashford.html |title=The Grueling Road of Evelyn Ashford |last=Shah |first=Diane K. |date=February 23, 1983 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 30, 2017 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830105123/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/23/sports/the-grueling-road-of-evelyn-ashford.html |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> dropped out of the 200-meter due to injury.<ref name=":16"/> Griffith went on to win a [[silver medal]] in the [[1984 Summer Olympics]], coming in second behind teammate [[Valerie Brisco-Hooks]].<ref name=":7"/>

After the 1984 Olympic Games, she spent less time running.<ref name=":15"/> Griffith continued to run part-time,<ref name=":15"/> winning the 100-meter [[IAAF Grand Prix Final]] with the time of 11.00 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IAAF Grand Prix, Combined Events Challenge and Golden Events |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/gp.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806170842/http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/gp.htm |archive-date=August 6, 2012 |access-date=May 25, 2017 |website=gbrathletics.com}}</ref> She did not compete at the 1985 U.S. National Championship.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-11-sp-10472-story.html |title=Track / Mal Florence: Pursley's Mishap Points Out How Dangerous Pole Vaulting Is |last=Florence |first=Mal |date=June 11, 1985 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=August 30, 2017 |issn=0458-3035 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212131439/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-06-11/sports/sp-10472_1_dangerous-pole-vaulting-is |archive-date=December 12, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, she returned to working at a bank and styled hair and nails in her spare time.<ref name=":7"/> She married [[Al Joyner]], the Olympic [[triple jump]] champion of 1984, in 1987.<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike"/>

She returned to athletics in April 1987.<ref name=":14">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/apr/11/olympic-florence-griffith-joyner-seoul |title=50 stunning Olympic moments No22: Florence Griffith Joyner, Seoul 1988 |last=Burnton |first=Simon |date=April 11, 2012 |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 24, 2017 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830154253/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/apr/11/olympic-florence-griffith-joyner-seoul |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Four months later, at the [[1987 World Championships in Athletics|1987 World Championships]] in [[Rome]], Griffith Joyner finished second in the 200-meter sprint.<ref name=":14"/><ref name=":12">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-05-sp-27516-story.html |title=Griffith-Joyner Ranked 2nd in World for 200 Meters |last=Ortega |first=John |date=February 5, 1988 |work=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035 |access-date=August 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829050712/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-05/sports/sp-27516_1_world-championship |archive-date=August 29, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Her success during the 1987 season resulted in being ranked second in [[Track & Field News|Track and Field News]]' 1987 world rankings.<ref name=":12"/> The 200 meters remained a stronger event for her than the 100 meters, where she was ranked seventh in the United States.<ref name=":12"/>

Before the [[1988 United States Olympic trials (track and field)|1988 U.S. Olympic trials]], Griffith Joyner continued to work with her coach and husband's brother-in-law, Kersee, two days a week, but with her new husband coaching her three days a week.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Harvey |first=Randy |date=July 29, 1988 |title=Griffith-Joyner Leaves Kersee's Club; She'll Be Coached Solely by Husband |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-29-sp-7928-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820034527/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-29/sports/sp-7928_1_al-joyner |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |access-date=July 23, 2016 |work=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035}}</ref> She ran the 100 meters in 10.96 seconds at the 1987 [[Cologne]] Grand Prix Track and Field Meet, a personal best but the mark was not even in the top 40 of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/european-stars-and-stripes-aug-18-1987-p-25/ |title=Canada's Johnson rips season's fastest 100 |date=August 18, 1987 |website=NewspaperArchive.com |publisher=European Stars And Stripes |page=25 |access-date=January 31, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":17"/> She continued to improve, again setting a personal best of 10.89 in the 100 meters in [[San Diego]] on June 25, 1988, but remained shy of the American record holder [[Evelyn Ashford]]'s three best times.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-26-sp-8397-story.html |title=Kingdom, 13.17 Into Wind, Routs Foster: Joyner-Kersee Jumps 24-3, Griffith Joyner Runs 10.89 in San Diego |last=Florence |first=Mal |date=June 26, 1988 |work=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035 |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513084801/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-06-26/sports/sp-8397_1_griffith-joyner |archive-date=May 13, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> A week before the trials she ran a tune-up race in 10.99 in [[Santa Monica]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.alltime-athletics.com/w_100ok.htm |title=All-time women's best 100m |publisher=Track and Field all-time Performances Homepage |access-date=July 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810125217/http://www.alltime-athletics.com/w_100ok.htm |archive-date=August 10, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the first race of the quarterfinals of the [[1988 United States Olympic trials (track and field)|U.S. Olympic trials]], she stunned her colleagues when she sprinted 100 meters in 10.49 seconds, a new world record by a margin of 0.27s over the previous record held by [[Evelyn Ashford]].<ref name=":4"/> Over the two-day trials, Griffith Joyner recorded the three fastest times for a woman at 100 meters: 10.49 in the quarter-final, 10.70 in the semifinal, and 10.61 in the final.<ref name=":14"/><ref name="Hersh, Phil"/> At the same Olympic trials, she also set an American record at the 200-meter distance with a time of 21.77 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.legacy.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf |title=The History of the United States Olympic Trials -- Track and Field |last=Hymans |first=Richard |date=2008 |publisher=USATF |page=30 |access-date=August 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620000346/http://usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf |archive-date=June 20, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 100-meter record was by far the largest improvement in the world record time since the advent of electronic timing, and still stands. This extraordinary result raised the possibility of a technical malfunction with the wind gauge which read at 0.0&nbsp;m/s—a reading at odds with the windy conditions on the day, with high wind speeds being recorded in all other sprints before and after this race as well as the parallel long jump runway at the time of the Griffith Joyner performance. All scientific studies commissioned by the IAAF and independent organizations have since found there was an illegal tailwind of between 5&nbsp;m/s and 7&nbsp;m/s at the time. The IAAF has not annulled the result, but since 1997 the International Athletics Annual of the [[Association of Track and Field Statisticians]] has listed it as "probably strongly wind assisted, but recognized as a world record."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://people.brunel.ac.uk/~spstnpl/BiomechanicsAthletics/WindAssistance.htm |title=Wind Assistance |date=March 2003 |publisher=[[Brunel University]] |author=Linthorne, Nick |access-date=August 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718110649/http://people.brunel.ac.uk/~spstnpl/BiomechanicsAthletics/WindAssistance.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> The fastest non-wind-assisted performance would then be Griffith Joyner's 10.61s in the final the next day.<ref>Linthorne, N. (1995) The 100m World Record by Florence Griffith Joyner at the 1988 U.S Olympic Trials. Report for the International Amateur Athletic Federation Department of Physics, University of Western Australia</ref> This mark was equaled by [[Elaine Thompson-Herah]] in the [[Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres|2020 Olympic Final]] before being surpassed by Thompson-Herah at the post-Olympics Eugene Diamond League meeting in August 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/elaine-thompson-herah-narrowly-misses-212228141.html |title=Elaine Thompson-Herah narrowly misses out on breaking 33-year-old 100m record|date=August 22, 2021 }}</ref> Thompson-Herah clocked 10.54 seconds, officially the second-fastest time in women's 100&nbsp;m history.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

Following the Olympic trials, in late July 1988, Griffith Joyner left coach Kersee saying she wanted a coach able to provide more personal attention.<!--<ref name=":1"/>--> Another contributing factor was her unhappiness with the lack of sponsorship and endorsement opportunities.<ref name=":11">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/08/07/kersee-still-waiting-for-reason-griffith-joyner-dropped-him-as/ |title=Kersee Still Waiting For Reason Griffith Joyner Dropped Him As |last=Hersh |first=Phil |date=August 7, 1988 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=August 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710204940/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-08-07/sports/8801210104_1_al-joyner-bob-kersee-appearance-fees-and-bonuses |archive-date=July 10, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to being her coach, Kersee was Griffith Joyner's manager, as he required all the athletes he coached to use his management services too.<ref name=":11"/> Griffith Joyner's decision to sign with personal manager Gordon Baskin therefore necessitated the coaching change.<ref name=":11"/><ref name=":8"/> She left UCLA for [[UC Irvine]] with her husband serving as full-time coach.<ref name=":1"/>

By then known to the world as "Flo-Jo", Griffith Joyner was the big favorite for the titles in the sprint events at the [[1988 Summer Olympics]]. In the [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres|100-meter final]], she ran a 10.54, beating her nearest rival to the world record, Evelyn Ashford, by 0.30 seconds. In the [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres|200-meter semifinal]], she set the world record of 21.56 seconds and then broke this record by 0.22 seconds in winning the final with a time of 21.34 seconds.<ref name="sr"/> Like her 100-meter world record, this mark still stands.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

At the same Olympics, Griffith Joyner also ran with the 4 × 100 m relay and the 4 × 400 m relay teams. Her team won the [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]] and finished second in the [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite news |last=Longman |first=Jere |author-link=Not Without Hope |date=September 22, 1998 |title=Florence Griffith Joyner, 38, Champion Sprinter, Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/22/sports/florence-griffith-joyner-38-champion-sprinter-is-dead.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830111911/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/22/sports/florence-griffith-joyner-38-champion-sprinter-is-dead.html |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> This was her first internationally rated 4 × 400 m relay. She left the games having won four Olympic medals, three gold and one silver.<ref name=":13">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/02/sports/the-seoul-olympics-track-and-field-pride-and-frustration-for-the-americans.html |title=The Seoul Olympics: Track and Field; Pride and Frustration for the Americans |last=Litsky |first=Frank |date=October 2, 1988 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=August 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828092939/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/02/sports/the-seoul-olympics-track-and-field-pride-and-frustration-for-the-americans.html |archive-date=August 28, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, her medal haul was the second most for female track and field athlete in history, behind only [[Fanny Blankers-Koen]] who won four gold medals in 1948.<ref name=":13"/>

In February 1989, Griffith Joyner announced her retirement from racing.<ref name=":8"/><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/04/30/florencegriffithjoyner/ |title=Florence Griffith-Joyner |date=July 8, 2008 |website=CNN |access-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818121513/http://www.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/04/30/florencegriffithjoyner/ |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> She cited her new business opportunities outside of sprinting.<ref name=":7"/><ref name=":9"/><ref name=":10"/> The month after announcing her retirement, she was selected as the winner of the [[James E. Sullivan Award]] of 1988 as the top amateur athlete in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/sports/sports-people-track-and-field-griffith-joyner-gets-sullivan-award.html |title=Sports People: Track and Field; Griffith Joyner Gets Sullivan Award |date=March 7, 1989 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=August 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819214338/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/sports/sports-people-track-and-field-griffith-joyner-gets-sullivan-award.html |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Comeback attempt and other activities===
Griffith Joyner's success at the 1988 Olympics led to new opportunities.<ref name=":8">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1989/04/10/119708/the-spoils-of-victory-for-florence-griffith-joyner-olympic-prowess-and-smashing-looks-have-been-lucrative-but-at-the-cost-of-her-running |title=The Spoils Of Victory |last=Moore |first=Kenny |date=April 10, 1989 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719145548/http://www.si.com/vault/1989/04/10/119708/the-spoils-of-victory-for-florence-griffith-joyner-olympic-prowess-and-smashing-looks-have-been-lucrative-but-at-the-cost-of-her-running |archive-date=July 19, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |url=http://articles.philly.com/1988-12-16/sports/26224251_1_american-olympians-florence-griffith-joyner-gordon-baskin |title=Cash Flo Griffith Joyner Leads The Pack In Cashing In On The Olympics |last=Macnow |first=Glen |date=December 16, 1988 |website=Philly.com |access-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817015350/http://articles.philly.com/1988-12-16/sports/26224251_1_american-olympians-florence-griffith-joyner-gordon-baskin |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the weeks following the Olympics, she earned millions of dollars from endorsement deals, primarily in Japan. She also signed a deal with toy maker [[LJN Toys]] for a [[Barbie]]-like doll in her likeness.<ref name=":8"/>
[[File:Florence Griffith Joyner.jpg|thumb|Griffith Joyner with President [[Ronald Reagan]] after the 1988 Olympics ]]
In 1989, Griffith Joyner designed the basketball uniforms for the [[Indiana Pacers]] [[NBA]] team.<ref name=":7"/> She made a guest appearance as herself on a fourth-season episode of ''[[227 (TV series)|227]]''. In 1992, she appeared in the soap opera ''[[Santa Barbara (TV series)|Santa Barbara]]'' as "Terry Holloway", a photographer similar to [[Annie Leibovitz]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-08-ca-4411-story.html |title=Flo Jo Hopes the Training Pays Off for Her Role on 'Santa Barbara' |last=Arkatov |first=Janice |date=August 8, 1992 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 26, 2017 |issn=0458-3035 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018080303/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-08/entertainment/ca-4411_1_santa-barbara |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/08/13/backstage-with-phoebe/ |title=Backstage With Phoebe |last=Hart |first=Marla |date=August 13, 1992 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=June 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830175431/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-08-13/features/9203130156_1_orson-welles-mercury-theatre-jack-benny/2 |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> She served as co-chair of [[President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition|President's Council on Physical Fitness]] between 1993 and 1998.<ref name=":15"/>

In 1996, Griffith Joyner appeared on ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose]]'' and announced her comeback to competitive athletics, concentrating on the 400-meter run.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/05/29/SPORTS5156.dtl |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |title=Flo Jo may abort comeback |date=April 21, 1997}}</ref> Her reason was that she had already set world marks in both the 100 m and 200 m events, with the 400 m world record being her goal. She trained steadily leading up to the U.S. Olympic trials in June. However, tendinitis in her right leg ended her hopes of becoming a triple-world-record holder.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/04/sports/sports-people-track-and-field-atlanta-out-for-joyners.html |title=Atlanta Out for Joyners |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627131119/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/04/sports/sports-people-track-and-field-atlanta-out-for-joyners.html?ref=florencegriffithjoyner |archive-date=June 27, 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 4, 1996 |access-date=May 11, 2014}}</ref>

==Style==
Beyond her running prowess, Griffith Joyner was known for her bold fashion choices.<ref name="Hersh, Phil">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1988/07/18/griffith-joyner-nails-100-meter-dash-final/ |title=Griffith-joyner Nails 100-meter Dash Final |last=Hersh |first=Phil |date=July 18, 1988 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=September 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914000010/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-07-18/sports/8801150917_1_one-legger-florence-griffith-joyner-stripes |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out">{{cite news |last=Bock |first=Hal |title=Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out of the Blocks: She Says Weight Training, Faster Starts Pushed Her to World Record in 100 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-24-sp-10191-story.html |access-date=August 24, 2016 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=July 24, 1988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813071618/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-24/sports/sp-10191_1_world-record |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> She appeared at the World Championships in 1987 in Rome wearing a hooded speed skating body suit.<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/athletics-flo-jos-flamboyant-life-and-times-1199911.html |title=Athletics: Flo-Jo's flamboyant life and times |last=Rowbottom |first=Mike |date=September 21, 1998 |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=September 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916100616/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/athletics-flo-jos-flamboyant-life-and-times-1199911.html |archive-date=September 16, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out"/> In April 1988, she started wearing a running suit with the right leg of the suit extending to the ankle and the left leg of the suit cut off, a style she called the "one-legger".<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike"/><ref name="Hersh, Phil"/><ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out"/> The running suits had bold colors such as lime green and purple with white bikini bottoms and were embellished with lightning bolts.<ref name="Hersh, Phil"/>

Her nails also garnered attention for their length and designs.<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike"/><ref name="Hersh, Phil"/> Her nails were four inches long with tiger stripes at the 1988 Olympic trials before switching to fuchsia.<ref name="Hersh, Phil"/> For the Olympic games themselves, she had six-inch nails painted red, white, blue, and gold.<ref name="Rowbottom, Mike"/> Although many sprinters avoided accessories which might slow them down, Griffith Joyner kept her hair long and wore jewelry while competing.<ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out"/> She designed many of her outfits herself and preferred looks which were not conventional.<ref name="Bock, Hal; Griffith-Joyner Just Getting Out"/>

==Allegations of performance-enhancing drug use==
After her record-shattering performances at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, she became an object of suspicion when she arrived at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.<ref name="CNN Montague"/> Athletes, including [[Joaquim Cruz]] and [[Ben Johnson (Canadian sprinter)|Ben Johnson]], expressed disbelief over Griffith Joyner's dramatic improvement over a short period of time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://veja.abril.com.br/160800/p_076.html |title=O doping está no auge |publisher=Veja Online |language=pt |date=August 16, 2000 |access-date=February 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203153757/http://veja.abril.com.br/160800/p_076.html |archive-date=February 3, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Before the 1988 track and field season, her best time in the 100-meter sprint was 10.96 seconds (set in 1987). In 1988, she improved that by 0.47 seconds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adriansprints.com/2011/12/tribute-florence-griffith-joyner-flo-jo.html |title=Tribute: Florence Griffith Joyner Flo-Jo (1959 - 1998) |website=adriansprints.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303105943/http://www.adriansprints.com/2011/12/tribute-florence-griffith-joyner-flo-jo.html |archive-date=March 3, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=July 21, 2021}}</ref>

Her best before 1988 at 200 meters was 21.96 seconds (also set in 1987). In 1988, she improved that by 0.62 seconds to 21.34 seconds, another time that has not been approached. Griffith Joyner attributed the change in her physique to new health programs.<ref name="speed-glamour-doubt">{{cite web |url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/19980923/26650594.html |title=Speed, glamour, doubt will be Flo-Jo's legacy |agency=[[Reuters]] |work=Express India |date=September 23, 1998 }}</ref> [[Al Joyner]] replaced [[Bob Kersee]] as her coach, and he changed her training program to include more lower-body-strength training exercises such as squats and lunges.<ref name="dreamchaser">{{cite web |last=Friend |first=Tom |date=August 26, 2009 |title=Dream Chaser |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=090826/flojo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130234945/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=090826%2Fflojo |archive-date=January 30, 2016 |access-date=July 18, 2025 |website=ESPN |series=Outside the Lines}}</ref>

In a 1989 story for which he was purportedly paid $25,000,<ref name=tribune>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/09/21/ex-teammate-flo-jo-lewis-used-drugs/ |title=Ex-Teammate: Flo-Jo, Lewis Used Drugs |last=Hersh |first=Phil |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 21, 1989 |access-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708055358/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-21/sports/8901150081_1_kersee-and-lewis-gordon-baskin-florence-griffith-joyner |archive-date=July 8, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Darrell Robinson]], a former teammate of Griffith Joyner, claimed that he sold her 10 mL of [[growth hormone]] for $2,000 in 1988. He said Joyner told him: "if you want to make $1 million, you've got to invest some thousands."<ref name="speed-glamour-doubt"/> Robinson claimed to have received steroids from coach Bob Kersee and said he saw [[Carl Lewis]] inject himself with drugs he believed to be testosterone.<ref name=tribune/> In 1990, Lewis alleged in his autobiography that Griffith Joyner had used drugs.<ref>{{cite news | title=LEWIS TELLS OF NIKE DEAL WHILE IN SCHOOL | date=June 27, 1990 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/06/27/lewis-tells-of-nike-deal-while-in-school/ | work=chicagotribune.com }}</ref>

Neither Robinson nor Lewis provided evidence for their allegations, and Robinson was shunned by the athletics community, leading to the premature end of his career.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/athletics-downfall-of-a-man-quick-to-accuse-1200952.html |title=Athletics: Downfall of a man quick to accuse |last=Wright |first=Gerard |date=September 26, 1998 |work=The Independent |access-date=June 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912013343/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/athletics-downfall-of-a-man-quick-to-accuse-1200952.html |archive-date=September 12, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> After the 1988 Olympics, Griffith Joyner retired from competitive track and field, a year before the introduction of mandatory random drug testing in 1989.<ref name="CNN Montague">{{cite news |title=Saving Flo Jo: Taking back a legacy |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/10/sport/olympics-flo-jo-seoul/index.html |access-date=October 4, 2019 |agency=CNN}}</ref><ref name="uneasy"/> She was repeatedly tested during competition and passed every test.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/177433.stm |title=Suspicion surrounds Flo-Jo's death |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622074633/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/177433.stm |archive-date=June 22, 2012 |url-status=live |work=BBC News |date=September 23, 1998 |access-date=May 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-13-sp-379-story.html |title=TAC Board Approves Random Drug Testing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708072942/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-03-13/sports/sp-379_1_random-drug-testing |archive-date=July 8, 2015 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 13, 1989 |access-date=May 11, 2014}}</ref>

After her death in 1998, [[Prince Alexandre de Merode]], who held the controversial position as chairman of the International Olympic Committee's medical commission,<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympian crusader over drugs in sport |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/olympian-crusader-over-drugs-in-sport-20091203-k8of.html |access-date=August 3, 2024 |work=Sydney Morning Herald }}</ref> claimed that Griffith Joyner was singled out for extra, rigorous drug testing during the 1988 Olympic Games following rumors of steroid use. De Merode told ''[[The New York Times]]'' that [[Manfred Donike]], who was at that time considered to be the foremost expert on drugs and sports, failed to discover any banned substances during that testing.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 24, 1998 |title=Plus: Track and Field; Official Defends Griffith Joyner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/24/sports/plus-track-and-field-official-defends-griffith-joyner.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627142522/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/24/sports/plus-track-and-field-official-defends-griffith-joyner.html?ref=florencegriffithjoyner |archive-date=June 27, 2017 |access-date=May 11, 2014 |work=The New York Times |agency=The Associated Press}}</ref> The [[World Anti-Doping Agency]] was created in the 1990s, removing control of drug testing from the IOC and De Merode. De Merode later stated: "We performed all possible and imaginable analyses on her. We never found anything. There should not be the slightest suspicion."<ref name="CNN Montague"/>

==Personal life and death==
Griffith's nickname among her family was "Dee Dee".<ref name=":6"/><ref name=":3"/> She was briefly engaged to hurdler [[Greg Foster (hurdler)|Greg Foster]].<ref name=":6"/> In 1987, Griffith married [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympic]] triple-jump champion [[Al Joyner]], whom Griffith had first met at the 1980 Olympic trials.<ref name=":4"/><ref name=":5"/> Through her marriage to Joyner she was sister-in-law to track and field athlete [[Jackie Joyner-Kersee]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-14-ss-1984-story.html |title=Olympics '88: A Preview: The First Family: Joyner and Kersee Got a Jump in Their Personal Relationship |last=Harvey |first=Randy |date=September 14, 1988 |work=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035 |access-date=July 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820091031/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-09-14/news/ss-1984_1_long-jump/2 |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Griffith and Joyner had one daughter together, Mary Ruth Joyner, born November 15, 1990.<ref name=":7"/><ref name=":17">{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-florence-griffith-joyner-19980923-story.html |title=From the Archives: Track Olympian Florence Griffith Joyner Dies at 38 |last=Penner |first=Mike |date=September 22, 1998 |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=July 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817061956/http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-florence-griffith-joyner-19980923-story.html |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Death===
On September 21, 1998, Griffith Joyner died in her sleep at home in the Canyon Crest neighborhood of [[Mission Viejo, California]], at the age of 38. The unexpected death was investigated by the Orange County Sheriff-[[Coroner]]'s office, which on September 22 declared the cause of death to be suffocation during a severe [[Epilepsy|epileptic]] seizure.<ref name="uneasy">{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/1998/12/04/cov_04newsa/ |title=The Uneasy Death Of Florence Griffith Joyner |work=salon.com |first=Kristina Rebelo |last=Anderson |date=December 5, 1998 |access-date=June 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705004107/http://www.salon.com/1998/12/04/cov_04newsa/ |archive-date=July 5, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Griffith Joyner was found to have had a [[cavernous hemangioma]], a congenital vascular brain abnormality that made her subject to seizures.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/199306.stm |title=Seizure was brought on by a congenital defect in Griffith Joyner's brain |work=BBC |date=October 23, 1998 |access-date=January 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103171814/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/199306.stm |archive-date=January 3, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to a family attorney, she had a [[Generalized tonic–clonic seizure|tonic–clonic seizure]] in 1990 and had been treated for seizures in 1993 and 1994. According to the Sheriff-Coroner's office, the only drugs in her system when she died were small amounts of two common over-the-counter drugs, [[acetaminophen]] and the antihistamine [[Benadryl]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gottlieb |first=Jeff |date=October 23, 1998 |title=Seizure Led to FloJo's Death |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-23-sp-35391-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114232820/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/oct/23/sports/sp-35391 |archive-date=January 14, 2017 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |work=Los Angeles Times |quote=The Orange County Sheriff-Coroner's office found that the only drugs in her system when she died were small amounts of the over-the-counter painkiller acetominophen and the antihistamine Benadryl, which is sometimes used as a mild sedative.}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Florence Joyner plaque MV.jpg|thumb|330x330px|A plaque honoring Griffith Joyner at Florence Joyner Olympiad Park in [[Mission Viejo, California]]]]
[[USA Track & Field]] inducted her into its [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USATF - Hall of Fame |url=http://www.legacy.usatf.org/halloffame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=63 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921132057/http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=63 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |access-date=July 24, 2016 |website=usatf.org}}</ref> In 2000, the 102nd Street School in Los Angeles was renamed Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School. Griffith Joyner had attended the school as a child.<ref name=":2"/> The city of Mission Viejo dedicated a park at the entrance to her neighborhood in her honor.<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Florence+Joyner+Olympiad+Park/@33.631868,-117.63505,628m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x80dcebd089200311:0xbb48948222aa9448 Florence Joyner Olympiad Park] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911055409/https://www.google.com/maps/place/Florence+Joyner+Olympiad+Park/@33.631868,-117.63505,628m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x80dcebd089200311:0xbb48948222aa9448 |date=September 11, 2018 }}. Google.com. Retrieved on June 30, 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cityofmissionviejo.org/parkpics/details_22.htm |title=(22) Florence Joyner Olympiad Park - City of Mission Viejo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203222320/http://cityofmissionviejo.org/parkpics/details_22.htm |archive-date=December 3, 2014}}</ref> Griffith Joyner was also an artist and painter. Her work has been on display as part the [[Art of the Olympians|Art of The Olympians]] (AOTO). She is one of two posthumous members of AOTO, the other being the founder and Olympian, [[Al Oerter]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/florence-joyner/ |title=Art of the Olympians {{!}} Florence Griffith-Joyner|website=artoftheolympians.org|access-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222115356/http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/florence-joyner/|archive-date=December 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'s}} 2020 list of the most influential women of the past century, she was named Woman of the Year for 1988.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5793709/florence-griffith-joyner-100-women-of-the-year/ |title=1988: Florence Griffith Joyner |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=March 5, 2020}}</ref>

==Awards==
* [[World Athletics Awards]]
:: World Athlete of the Year (Women): 1988<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Athletes of the Year |url=https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/651c81d5050f9b2bc0433282.pdf?_gl=1*6hkuqu*_ga*NjYxMTM1NTI5LjE3MTUyMjE3MTY.*_ga_7FE9YV46NW*MTcxNTIyMTcxNS4xLjEuMTcxNTIyMTcyMi4wLjAuMA.. |website=[[World Athletics]] |format=PDF |access-date=}}</ref>

==Statistics==
To date, her 1988 200&nbsp;m world and Olympic record (21.34) as well as her 100&nbsp;m world record (10.49) still stand, making her the only female athlete to hold simultaneous records. Her 100&nbsp;m Olympic record (10.62) was beaten in 2021 at the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo by [[Elaine Thompson-Herah]] (10.61).

===Olympic Games and trials results===
*Source:<ref name=sr>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/florence-griffith-joyner-1.html Florence Griffith Joyner] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822140629/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/florence-griffith-joyner-1.html |date=August 22, 2011 }}. sports-reference.com</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alltime-athletics.com/index.html |title=Track & Field all-time performances |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901001002/http://www.alltime-athletics.com/index.html |archive-date=September 1, 2013 |publisher=Track and Field all-time Performances Homepage |access-date=May 11, 2014}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Race
! Venue
! Date
! Round
! Time
! Wind
! WR
|-
| 100 m
| Indianapolis
| July 16, 1988
| Qualifying heat
| 10.60w
| +3.2
|
|-
| 100 m
| Indianapolis
| July 16, 1988
| Quarter-final
| 10.49
| 0.0{{refn|group=note|name=10.49|It is widely believed that the anemometer was faulty for the race in which Griffith Joyner set this record.<ref name="Linthorne">{{cite web |url=http://www.brunel.ac.uk/~spstnpl/Publications/IAAFReport(Linthorne).pdf |title=The 100-m World Record by Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials |last=Linthorne |first=Nicholas P. |date=June 1995 |publisher=Brunel University |access-date=March 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916095446/http://www.brunel.ac.uk/~spstnpl/Publications/IAAFReport(Linthorne).pdf |archive-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> A 1995 report commissioned by the IAAF estimated the true wind speed was between +5.0&nbsp;m/s and +7.0&nbsp;m/s, rather than the 0.0 recorded.<ref name="Linthorne"/> If this time, recorded in the quarter-final of the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, were excluded, the world record (until the 10.54 recorded by [[Elaine Thompson-Herah]] on August 21, 2021) would have been 10.61 s, also by Griffith Joyner, recorded the next day at the same venue in the final.<ref name="Linthorne"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=n/season=0/sex=W/all=y/legal=A/disc=100/detail.html |title=Women's outdoor 100m |date=September 17, 2011 |work=All-time top lists |publisher=IAAF |access-date=March 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407125204/http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=o/age=n/season=0/sex=W/all=y/legal=A/disc=100/detail.html |archive-date=April 7, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| WR
|-
| 100 m
| Indianapolis
| July 17, 1988
| Semi-final
| 10.70
| +1.6
|
|-
| 100 m
| Indianapolis
| July 17, 1988
| Final
| 10.61
| +1.2
|
|-
| 100 m
| Seoul
| September 24, 1988
| Qualifying heat
| 10.88
| +1.0
|
|-
| 100 m
| Seoul
| September 24, 1988
| Quarter-final
| 10.62
| +1.0
|
|-
| 100 m
| Seoul
| September 25, 1988
| Semi-final
| 10.70w
| +2.6
|
|-
| 100 m
| Seoul
| September 25, 1988
| Final
| 10.54w
| +3.0
|
|-
| 200 m
| Indianapolis
| July 22, 1988
| Qualifying heat
| 21.96
| +0.6
|
|-
| 200 m
| Indianapolis
| July 22, 1988
| Quarter-final
| 21.77
| −0.1
|
|-
| 200 m
| Indianapolis
| July 23, 1988
| Semi-final
| 21.90w
| +2.4
|
|-
| 200 m
| Indianapolis
| July 23, 1988
| Final
| 21.85
| +1.3
|
|-
| 200 m
| Seoul
| September 28, 1988
| Qualifying heat
| 22.51
| ?
|
|-
| 200 m
| Seoul
| September 28, 1988
| Quarter-final
| 21.76
| +0.7
|
|-
| 200 m
| Seoul
| September 29, 1988
| Semi-final
| 21.56
| +1.7
| WR
|-
| 200 m
| Seoul
| September 29, 1988
| Final
| 21.34
| +1.3
| WR
|-
| 100 m relay ( 4 × 100 m relay )
| Seoul
| October 1, 1988
| Semi-Final
| (team time 42.12)
|
|
|-
| 100 m relay ( 4 × 100 m relay )
| Seoul
| October 1, 1988
| Final
| (team time 41.98)
|
|
|-
| 400 m relay split ( 4 × 400 m relay )
| Seoul
| October 1, 1988
| Final
| 48.08<br/>(team time 3:15.51)
|
|
|}

===International competitions===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|-
!Year!!Competition!!Venue!!Position!!Event!!Time!!Notes
|-
|1983
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Helsinki]]
|4th
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres|200 m]]
|22.46
|<small> wind +1.5</small>
|}

===Season's bests===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! Year
! 100 meters
! 200 meters
! 400 meters
|-
| 1982 || 11.12 || 22.39 || —
|-
| 1983 || 11.06 || 22.23 || 50.94
|-
| 1984 || 10.99 || 22.04 || —
|-
| 1985 || 11.00 || 22.50 ||'''50.89'''
|-
| 1986 || 11.42 || 23.51 || —
|-
| 1987 || 10.96 || 21.96 || —
|-
| 1988 ||'''10.49'''||'''21.34'''|| 52.50
|}

==See also==
* [[History of African Americans in Los Angeles]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Florence Griffith Joyner}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180522045151/http://www.florencegriffithjoyner.com/ Official website (archive)]
* [https://llacademy.org/iconic-sports-moments-florence-griffith/ Iconic Sports Moments- Florence Griffith ]
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{USATF Hall of Fame|63}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=florence-griffith-joyner|old_id=Florence-Griffith-Joyner|archive=20230720074715}}
* {{Olympics.com profile}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{IMDb name|0431647}}
* [http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/florence-joyner/ Florence Griffith Joyner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222115356/http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/florence-joyner/ |date=December 22, 2015 }} at [[Art of the Olympians|AOTO]]
* {{Find a Grave|6706|Florence Griffith Joyner}}
* Videos:
** {{cite web |url=http://www.sprintic.com/worldrecordsvideo/100m_women_1049_griffith_joyner/ |series=Track and Field Video |work=100m Women's World Records |format=video |title=10.49 sec - Florence Griffith-Joyner |date=July 16, 1988 |location=Indianapolis |publisher=SprintIC |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927050046/http://www.sprintic.com/worldrecordsvideo/100m_women_1049_griffith_joyner/ |access-date=April 4, 2007 }}
** {{cite web |url=http://www.sprintic.com/worldrecordsvideo/200m_women_2134_griffith_joyner_1988/ |series=Track and Field Video |work=200m Women's World Records |format=video |title=21.34 sec - Florence Griffith-Joyner |date=September 29, 1988 |location=Seoul |publisher=SprintIC |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927051115/http://www.sprintic.com/worldrecordsvideo/200m_women_2134_griffith_joyner_1988/ |access-date=April 4, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=090826/flojo&redirected=true |date=August 26, 2009 |title=Dream Chaser |series=[[Outside the Lines]] |work=ESPN |first=Tom |last=Friend |quote=Al Joyner feels the presence of Florence Griffith 25 years after Olympic glory. Now, in their daughter, he sees a young Flo Jo}}

{{s-start}}
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{{s-inc}}
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{{s-sports}}
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{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Dawn Sowell]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Women}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 200 m Women}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 100m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 200m Women}}
{{IAAF World Athlete of the Year (women)}}
{{Sullivan Award winners}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1988 Summer Olympics}}
{{Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year navbox}}
{{L'Équipe Champion of Champions}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyner, Florence Griffith}}
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