Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee is an American retired track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time. She is on the Board of Directors for USA Track & Field, the national governing body of the sport. Joyner-Kersee is an active philanthropist in children's education, racial equality and women's rights. She is a founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which encourages young people in East St. Louis to pursue athletics and academics. She partnered with Comcast to create the Internet Essentials program in 2011, which costs $9.95/month for low-income Americans and offers low-cost laptops and 40 hours/month of high-speed internet service. Since its inception, it has provided internet access to 4 million Americans.
Country: | United States |
Sport: | Athletics |
Event(s): | Long jump, heptathlon |
Club: | Tiger World Class Athletic Club, West Coast Athletic Club, McDonald's Track Club |
About Jackie Joyner-Kersee
American Olympic gold medalist considered one of the all-time greatest female heptathletes, she won three Olympics gold medals.
Before Fame
She was a starting forward in basketball for UCLA's women's squad.
Achievement
Sports Illustrated voted her as the greatest female athlete of the 20th century.
Family Life
She married Bobby Kersee, her track coach, in 1986.
Associations
Another famous Olympian is Dominique Moceanu.
Information related to Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- UCLA Bruins women's basketball players
- Richmond Rage players
- UCLA Bruins women's track and field athletes
- American heptathletes
- Sportspeople from East St. Louis, Illinois
- American female long jumpers
- James E. Sullivan Award recipients
- African-American female track and field athletes
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field