Florence Griffith Joyner 1998 Deaths

Florence Griffith Joyner

triple gold medalist at the 1988 Olympics recognized around the world by her unusual running outfits and long, painted fingernails; won AP Female Athlete of the Year honors and the Sullivan Award in 1988 as the country's best amateur athlete; known simply as "FloJo," she smashed the world records for the 100 and 200-meter runs at Seoul, South Korea in 1988; she also won a gold medal anchoring the U.S. 4x100m relay team that year; her husband was 1984 Olympic triple-jump gold medalist Al Joyner and her sister-in-law was six-time Olympic medalist and world heptathlon record-holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee; served as co-chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness; suffered a seizure during an airline flight in 1996 and was hospitalized for one day; of a heart seizure