Jackie Joyner-Kersee

College

University of California, Los Angeles

Hall of Fame

⭐ National Track & Field Hall of Fame

Jackie Joyner-Kersee was born in East St. Louis, Illinois — a city that shaped her drive and discipline. She attended Lincoln High School, where she excelled in both track and basketball, before earning a scholarship to UCLA. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics she set the world record in the heptathlon (7,291 points) and won gold in the long jump — becoming the first woman to win two individual multi-event track titles at a single Games. She won six Olympic medals total (three gold) and was named "the greatest female athlete of the 20th century" by Sports Illustrated. Joyner-Kersee was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2004.