Joyner-Kersee, Jackie (1962-…), an American athlete, became the first woman to win consecutive heptathlon championships at the Olympic Games. The heptathlon is a seven-event track and field competition. Joyner-Kersee won the Olympic heptathlon in 1988 and 1992, setting a world record of 7,291 points in the 1988 games. She had finished second in the heptathlon in the 1984 Olympics. Joyner-Kersee also won the Olympic long jump in 1988, setting an Olympic record of 24 feet 31/2 inches (7.40 meters). She finished third in the long jump in the 1992 and 1996 games. She retired from competition in 2000.
Jacqueline Joyner was born on March 3, 1962, in East St. Louis, Illinois. She graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1986, she married Bob Kersee, a UCLA track coach who became her personal coach. She published her autobiography, A Kind of Grace, in 1997.
