Florence Griffith Joyner

Delorez Florence Griffith-Joyner a.k.a. Flo-Jo (December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998) was an American athlete, still holder of the World Records in the 100 m and 200 m as of 2005. She was the wife of track star Al Joyner and the sister-in-law of Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

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Already fast at an early age, Los Angeles born Florence Griffith finished fourth in the 200 m at the inaugural World Championships in 1983.

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The following year, she gained much more attention, though mostly because of her extremely long and colourful fingernails rather than her silver medal in the Los Angeles Olympics 200 m.

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After these Olympics, Griffith spent less time running and married 1984 Olympic triple jump champion Al Joyner. Returning at the 1987 World Championships, she finished second in the 200 m again.

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She stunned the world when - known as a 200 m runner - she ran a new 100 m World Record of 10.49 in the quarter-finals of the US Olympic Trials. Many later suggested the wind meter in the stadium malfunctioned during the race, but the record is still recognized.

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Now known as "Flo-Jo", Griffith-Joyner was the big favourite for the titles in the sprint events at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In the 100 m, she ran a (wind-assisted) 10.54 in the final, beating her nearest rival Evelyn Ashford by 3 tenths of a second. In the 200 m, she set a new world record of 21.34, winning by 4 tenths. Griffith-Joyner was also a runner in both the 4 x 100 m and 4 x 400 m relay teams. She won a gold medal in the former event, and a silver in the latter, her first international 4 x 400 m relay.

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Throughout her career, Griffith-Joyner was dogged by rumors of drug use. Some of her track competitors insisted that her times could only be the result of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, mainly because her performance improved dramatically over a short period of time (and when she was rather old for a sprinter), but also because some claimed she sported a tiny moustache; her sudden death only fuelled these rumors. In 1989, another sprinter, Darrell Robinson, claimed that Griffith-Joyner had paid him to obtain human growth hormone. She denied this, calling him a "compulsive, crazy, lying lunatic." In and out of competition, Griffith-Joyner never failed a drug test.

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She retired the next season. In 1998, she died in her sleep of cavernous angioma in Mission Viejo, California. The autopsy established that performing-enhancing drugs did not kill her, although it did not establish whether she took such drugs.

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December 21: December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 10 days remaining....

1959: 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It is also a song by The Sisters of Mercy on the album Floodland....

September 21: September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). There are 101 days remaining....

Florence Griffith Joyner related Images and Photos (experimental)

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Florence Nightingale	Florence Gold Cadmium	Andy Griffith	Hugh Griffith