Breaking barriers of gender and race, Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee is an inspiration, therefore, an excellent choice for this blog post. A retired American athlete, Joyner-Kersee is regarded as one of the greatest sportswomen of all time. As a track and field athlete, her achievements in athletics such as the long jump and the heptathlon, are admirable. Joyner-Kersee is the first African American woman who secured the highest accolade in the long jump. Also, she reserves the honor of setting the precedent of compiling 7000 plus points in the heptathlon. She also has two bronze, one silver, and three gold Olympic medals to her name. Joyner-Kersee was elected the “Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century” by the “Sports Illustrated for Women” magazine. In 1988, she was featured on the cover of the September issue of Time magazine. Currently, she is serving on the board for “USA Track & Field”. Joyner-Kersee is the eight times winner of the heptathlon championship at the national level and nine times winner of the national-level long jump title. She owns the 1994 American record of a leap of twenty-four feet, seven inches. She also gained laurels in the hurdles and set national records at 50, 55, and 60 meters distances. As a teenager, her major achievements include winning the first National Junior Pentathlon championships. As a junior, she set the long jump record for Illinois high-school girls. These early successes secured her a grant to the “University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)” where her initial focus was on the long jump and basketball (Britannica, 2021; World Athletics, 2021). Joyner-Kersee’s achievement is an inspiration for women athletes all over the world. Her great passion for athletics from an early age and her drive to pursue it can serve as an example for young athletes struggling to find their place in the world of sports.
Britannica. (2021). Jackie Joyner-Kersee | Biography & Facts | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jackie-Joyner-Kersee
World Athletics. (2021). Jackie JOYNER-KERSEE | Profile | World Athletics. https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/jackie-joyner-kersee-14314065
