Florence Griffith Joyner Birthday & Fun Facts

Florence Griffith Joyner Birthday Highlights

Birth Name

Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner

Place Of Birth

Los Angeles, USA

Age

64 years old

Birth Date

December 21 1959

Florence Griffith Joyner Facts

Child Star?

no

Occupation

Education & Qualifications

Jordan High School

Net Worth

$1,500,000

Current Partner

AI Joyner

Children

Mary Ruth Joyner

Parents

Robert Griffith, Florence Griffith

Siblings

Vivian Johnson, Weldon Pitts, Kathleen Wiggs, Elizabeth Tate

Florence Griffith Joyner was a record-breaking American track and field athlete.

Florence Griffith Joyner was born on December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles, California, United States. She was a record-setter in 1988 for both the 100m and 200m events.

Her parents were Robert Griffith and Florence Griffith. She began showing her athletic spirit when she was young and indulging herself in sporty activities from the very start, like running on the tracks during track meets. For her high schooling, she attended Jordan High School. Even when she was pursuing her studies at California State University, Northridge, and the University of California, Los Angeles, even though she was attending classes, she was also dreaming about running. That dream never left her eyes, and she began competing in track and field. That was all thanks to her hard work that she got selected for the Olympics to compete in the 100m while still being a college student. However, not long enough before she got to know that due to the U.S. boycott, she could not compete.

Nevertheless, her spirit wasn't broken, and she finally made it through her Olympic debut four years later and emerged as a winner with a silver medal in the 200m at the Olympics of 1984. Her new world record in the 100m sprint was set at the 1988 US Olympic trials, and at the 1988 Olympics, she was rewarded with three gold medals. Let's take a little sneak peek into her childhood. During elementary school, she started running on tracks through an organization and participated in competitions; as she continued, she won for two consecutive years Jesse Owens National Youth Games when she was only a teenager. She studied at Jordan High School, where she ran tracks as well.  

What was Florence Griffith Joyner’s net worth?

Florence Griffith Joyner’s net worth is $1-5 million.

How much did Florence Griffith Joyner earn per year?

As she is no longer alive, her annual income cannot be ascertained.

How tall was Florence Griffith Joyner?

She was 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) tall.

How old was Florence Griffith Joyner?

She was 38 when she died on September 21, 1988, in Mission Viejo, California. She was born on December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles, California.

 Florence Griffith Joyner was born on December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles. Her family lived in Littlerock, California, before her mother moved with her children to the Jordan Downs public housing complex located in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Additionally, during her elementary school days, she joined the Sugar Ray Robinson Organization for track meets on weekends. She was also the winner of the Jesse Owens National Youth Games two years in a row, at the ages of 14 and 15. She was also the track runner at Jordan High School in Los Angeles. She was a psychology major at the University of California and graduated with her bachelor's degree in 1980.  She was already a record-setter during her high school days. Moreover, she spent most of her childhood striving for her dream of becoming an unmatched athlete.

Who was Florence Griffith Joyner’s partner?

Florence Griffith Joyner married AI Joyner in 1987. He was a champion of the triple jump in the 1984 Olympics. She had first met him at the 1980 Olympic trials. Together they had one daughter, Mary Ruth Joyner, born on 15th November 1990.

Best Known For…

Florence Griffith Joyner was an American Sprinter and was best known for setting the world record of 10.49 seconds in the 100 m and 21.34 seconds in the 200 m, and that record hasn't been broken since 1988. Nevertheless, the journey to the top wasn't easy, there was a time when she and her family struggled financially during her college days, and she had to drop out of college and take up a job to support her family. In that case, her coach funded her, and she returned to college. With her return, her focus shifted toward running, and she competed in the Summer Olympics of 1980. Furthermore, after graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology, she dedicated her life to her dream. 

In 1983, she competed in the 200-meter sprint at the World Championship in Athletics, her first time competing in the world championship. Her selection for the Olympics in the 200-meter was the turning point in her career. At the Summer Olympics in 1984, she won a silver medal. 

After this significant achievement, her frequent track runs lessened each day. However, she partially stayed on the way and won the IAAF Grand Prix Final 100-meter within the time limit of 11.00 seconds. She stayed on and off the track long and worked as a part-timer. 

She returned to the track after two years, and with that, competed in Rome at the World Championships of 1987; however, what added further to her progressive success was her landing second rank in Track and Field News world rankings in 1987. Moreover, she participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials, and before that, she worked hard and strived to improve as an athlete. She aimed to set a personal record, which she did in 1988, in San Diego, in the 100 meters, where she developed the form of 10.89. However, she was not satisfied, as it was not enough to beat the previous record holder, a competent Evelyn Ashford. Finally, in the U.S. At The Olympic Trials in 1988, she set a new record in the 100 meters when she completed it within 10.49 seconds, beating Evelyn Ashford. 

On the one hand, she was reaching new heights of accomplishment, and her career sparked. She competed in innumerable Olympic games. And was stealing the hearts of people with her exceptional performance and dedication; on the other hand, she was facing a hard time not getting enough sponsorship and endorsement vacancies. However, she had already entered the list of top athletes.  

She took a temporary break and engaged in other activities. However, she made a comeback in 1996. This time she prepared herself for the 400 m and took a step forward from 100 m and 200 m. And again competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Nevertheless, her career was mildly affected by the allegations and suspicion she had to face just because she shined in the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials. At the time of her Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988, she was suspected of taking growth hormone, which one of her teammates claimed to have given to her by him. This went on for an extended time, and at last, she passed all the drug tests and came out clean. However, the air of suspicion was cleared completely after her death. She left back her legacy and all that she earned, her competitiveness, and her spirit. She paved the way for future athletes. Unfortunately, she died from an epileptic seizure on the 21st of September, 1998.

Charity Work

Following her retirement in 1989, she established a foundation for underprivileged children, and from 1993 to 1995 she served as the co-chair of the President’s council on physical fitness.

What awards did Florence Griffith Joyner win?

Throughout her remarkable career, Griffith also won several awards:

Kids Choice Award for Favourite Female Athlete, 1989.

James E. Sullivan Award, 1988.

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year Award, 1988.

Florence Griffith Joyner’s Hobbies And Interests

Other than running on tracks, she was also interested in designing. She designed basketball uniforms for the Indiana Pacers NBA team in 1989. She was widely famous for her bold and unique fashion sense.

• She was famous as the fastest woman of all time due to the numerous world records she created in the 1988 Olympics for both the 100 m and 200 m, which are still unbreakable.
• Florence was born and raised in California and started running from a young age; she held several records to her name when she was attending high school. 
• She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
• Her Olympic debut marked her winning of silver medal in the 200-meter distance at the 1984 Olympics, which was held in Los Angeles.
• She also won three gold medals and two silver medals at the 1988 Olympics.
• She died in her sleep of an epileptic seizure.
• During the 1988 Olympic games, Florence won a gold medal, recording a time of 10.54 seconds.

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