09: Greatest Athletes Spotlight: Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Written By: Ben Drury
Hello everyone, it’s Wednesday, and that means it's time for a new edition of the Greatest Athletes Spotlight. For today’s spotlight, I picked one of the most versatile track and field athletes of all time, Jackie Joyner-Kersee. In track and field, one of the hardest events for any athlete to compete in is the Heptathlon, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee holds the world record in it. Holding a world record is an incredible accomplishment by itself, but Joyner-Kersee broke the world record 37 years ago, and it still stands today.
The heptathlon is no joke, and there is a reason no one has touched her world record. The heptathlon consists of the 100m hurdles, high jump, Shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin, and the 800m. That doesn’t seem so horrible over maybe a week, right, but here’s the punchline: the heptathlon is only a two-day event, which means, once athletes get to the 800m, they’re going to be tired. What people do when they are tired is what makes people great, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee winning multiple global championships in this event shows just how great she was.
But holding the heptathlon world record for 37 years isn’t the only incredible thing she accomplished. During her 16-year career, Joyner-Kersee won three Olympic titles, along with three other podium finishes. What stands out to me about her success, though, was how good she was at everything. That’s what you have to do to be good at the Heptathlon, and Joyner-Kersee did it. Outside of the Heptathlon, Joyner-Kersee was better than most people who specialized in a certain, single event. For example, she won an Olympic title in the long jump, performing better than athletes who focused completely on the long jump. In another large global championship, the world championships, Jackie Joyner-Kersee won more titles than in the Olympics, winning twice in the Heptathlon and another two times in the long jump. However, the 1988 Olympics were her last games, and in 2001, she retired from track and field at the age of 38.
Even though Joyner-Kersee’s athletic career is over, her impact is still felt today. In 1988, before her retirement, she created the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation to help children and young adults in the East St. Louis area. Along with her foundation, she has done public speaking, been an advocate for health and wellness, written an autobiography, and mentored and coached up-and-coming athletes.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee had a great career. Whether it was holding the heptathlon world record for 37 years, winning seven world and Olympic titles combined, or making a lasting impact in her community work, she’s rightfully in the conversation for the greatest of all time.
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