Joyner Breaks World Records.

Joyner Breaks World Records. In her quest to become the fastest runner in the world, American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner set two world records. She also won three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. . Joyner Breaks World Records In 1988 track athlete Florence Griffith Joyner burst onto the world stage with a speed and style that had never been seen before. She set world records that year in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, making her the fastest woman alive. Flo Jo, as she was called, earned three gold medals and one silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Her dazzling performances coupled with her flamboyant costumes, fanciful fingernails, flowing hair, and radiant smile made her one of the most recognized figures in track. "Throughout the history of track and field, there have only occasionally been athletes whose personalities and performances transcended their sport," Ms. magazine said in 1988. "Florence Griffith Joyner has joined the immortals, rising to their status on the force of her amazing athletic achievement, aided by the singular nature of her personality and approach." Griffith Joyner began blossoming on the track at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She was the national collegiate champion in the 200 meters in 1983 and in the 400 meters in 1984. At the 1983 World Track and Field Championships in Helsinki, Finland, she placed fourth in the 200 meters. The next year at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles--with the top runners from East Germany and the Soviet Union not competing--she earned a silver medal in the 200 meters while capturing attention for her long, decorated fingernails. After the 1984 Olympics, Griffith Joyner continued competing, but she was unable to improve her times significantly. By 1986 she was working two jobs--as a customer service representative and as a beautician--and her training schedule and training suffered. Her marriage to Al Joyner in 1987 brought a spark to her career as he became increasingly involved in his wife's training. She lifted weights to improve her ability out of the starting blocks, studied other sprinters to refine her form, and committed herself to becoming the world's best sprinter. In 1987 she finished second in the 200 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Italy. For years Griffith Joyner specialized in the 200-meter event. She had run the 100 meters but didn't compete internationally in the event until 1988. In June 1988 in San Diego, California, she clocked a time of 10.89 seconds in the 100 meters, 0.13 seconds off the world record. Three weeks later at the United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, she stole the show in the event. In the quarterfinal preliminaries for the 100 meters Griffith Joyner, wearing a purple body suit with a turquoise bikini brief, ran the 100 meters in a time of 10.49 seconds, shattering the world record of 10.76 set in 1984 by Evelyn Ashford of the United States. Griffith Joyner then ran a 10.70 in the semifinals and a 10.61 in the finals, winning both and clocking the three fastest 100-meter races in history. "I'm a little bit surprised," she told the New York Times. Griffith Joyner then won the 200 meters, setting a U.S. record of 21.77 seconds. Griffith Joyner's time of 10.49 seconds in the 100 meters matched the winning time for the men's 100 meters at the 1956 Olympic Games and would have put her in the top five among men at the 1972 Olympics. The time translated to 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash; Sports Illustrated noted that "O. J. Simpson was a 9.4 sprinter"--referring to the speedy National Football League (NFL) running back. At the Seoul Olympics, Griffith Joyner showed that her performance at the U.S. trials had been no fluke. In the preliminaries for the 100 meters she twice lowered the Olympic record, clocking a time of 10.62 seconds in the semifinal round. In the finals for the 100 meters Griffith Joyner--wearing the official U.S. uniform but with her long fingernails painted with polka dots and the words "gold" and "USA" and pierced with Olympic rings--ran a time of 10.54 seconds, easily winning the gold medal. Although wind measurements showed that the trailing breeze was too strong to qualify the time for any record, Griffith Joyner evidently was pleased. She began smiling about halfway through the race and broke out into a beaming expression as she crossed the finish line. She then grabbed a U.S. flag and circled the track. In the 200 meters Griffith Joyner set an Olympic record with a time of 21.76 seconds in the quarterfinals; broke the world record in the semifinals with a time of 21.56 seconds; and then, 100 minutes later, again broke the record with a time of 21.34 seconds in the finals. She added another gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4 x 100 relay team and a silver medal as part of the 4 x 400 relay team. Her three gold medals and one silver made her one of the stars of the U.S. team. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.