Al Joyner

Who is Al Joyner?

Al Joyner is an American athlete. He was the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump. While an Olympic gold medalist in his own right, he is perhaps better known as the husband of the "fastest woman in the world" Florence Griffith Joyner and the brother of the "greatest female athlete" Jackie Joyner Kersee.

A star athlete at Lincoln High School in East St. Louis, Illinois, Al Joyner went on to attend Arkansas State University. He competed with their track and field team throughout his college career, and by the time he graduated Al was a three-time NCAA All-American indoor champion, a three-time NCAA All-American and outdoor champion, a four-time Southland Conference champ and had placed 8th in the triple jump at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

In 1984, Al traveled to Los Angeles for the Summer Games to compete with the U.S. Olympic track and field team. With a leap of 56'-7.5", he became the first African American in 80 years to win a gold medal in the triple jump. Al was also honored with the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given every four years to the best American competitor in an Olympic Field Event. That same year, Al cheered his sister Jackie Joyner Kersee as she competed in the heptathlon. When she captured a silver in the event, they became the first sibling teammates in U.S. history to medal during the same Olympics.