Jackie Joyner-Kersee was one of the greatest athletes of all time. She was an All American basketball player and a track & field star at UCLA. She was the first woman to accumulate 7,000 points in the seven event heptathlon and still holds the world record. From 1985 to early 1996, she won every heptathlon she entered. She has accumulated three Olympic gold medals, as well as one silver and two bronze. One of her bronze medals was won despite a torn hamstring. She also won the heptathlon title at the Goodwill Games despite having an asthma attack during the 800 meters race.
Life was not always easy for Jackie. Her parents were still in their teens when she was born and struggled to provide for their growing family. When Jackie first started compete in track, she finished in last place for quite some time. After experiencing some success, she lost her mother to a deadly bacterial infection when she was a freshman in college. Despite or maybe as a result of these struggles, she became the athlete we know today. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century. Jackie views her success as a "reward for all those hours of work on the bridle path, the neighborhood sidewalks, and the schoolhouse corridors."
Life was not always easy for Jackie. Her parents were still in their teens when she was born and struggled to provide for their growing family. When Jackie first started compete in track, she finished in last place for quite some time. After experiencing some success, she lost her mother to a deadly bacterial infection when she was a freshman in college. Despite or maybe as a result of these struggles, she became the athlete we know today. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century. Jackie views her success as a "reward for all those hours of work on the bridle path, the neighborhood sidewalks, and the schoolhouse corridors."
