Jackie Joyner-Kersee
The Olympic Champion
Early years
She was born in St.Louis Illinois on March 3rd 1962. As she grew up she became a formidable athlete. She won the national Pentathlon four times in a row as a teenager. She also set a the record high jump for Illinois at a height of 6.68 meters.
The Olympics
Jackie Joyner-Kersee went to the 1984 summer Olympics. While she was there she got the silver medal for the heptathlon. Then in 1988 she got the gold medal for long jump and bronze in 1992. She even set the world record for the heptathlon at 7,291 points.
Other Endevors
After retiring from the Track and Field Jackie built the Athletes for Hope organization which encourages athletes to make a difference. She works with many Athletes in this program such as Muhammad Ali, Andre Agassi, and Mia Hamm. This organization helps Athletes with scholarships, organizing charity events, and many other events. Then in 2010 she joined the board of the USA Track and Field organization.
Citations
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2015