Florence Griffith-Joyner's Sports Injuries

Olympian legend or all-time cheat? Everyone's got their own opinion about Florence Griffith Joyner. But what have we learned in the years since her death? American Sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner was a celebrated athlete in her time. On top of her many accomplishments in the mid to late 1980s, she set several world records and won a number of Olympic gold and silver medals. Joyner's extravagant personal style and charismatic personality set her apart from her athletic colleagues. Sadly, when an athlete is as successful as Joyner was, suspicion often follows. This was the case throughout FloJo's career, particularly related to the use of HGH or human growth hormone. The accusations began in earnest one year after the 1988 season when Joyner displayed rapid improvement in her performance. The speculation regarding her drug use only intensified when Joyner died suddenly in 1998 at age 38. The autopsy report revealed not only what had killed the athlete but also addressed whether performance-enhancing drugs had played a role. Joyner first caught the attention of track fans at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles, where she won silver in the 200-meter race. By 1987, she was back and better than ever, spurred on by a new weight training regimen and refined running technique. This hard work paid off in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, where she set a world record and won three gold medals and a silver. Joyner attributed her sudden improvement to a strict diet and intense exercise. However, fellow American sprinter Daryl Robinson claimed in a paid interview that he had purchased HGH for Joyner at her request. She denied these allegations and passed several drug screenings, though HGH was not tested for at the time. When Joyner died in 1998, some wondered if PEDs could have played a part. The toxicology report showed she only had acetaminophen and Benadryl in her system, neither of which were factors in her death. Joyner had been killed by a congenital brain condition called cavernous angioma, which causes blood to pool outside normal areas, particularly in the brain and spinal tissue. This condition can lead to symptoms like headaches and seizures, sometimes causing suffocation, which happened to Joyner. The autopsy ruled her cause of death as seizure-induced asphyxiation due to the brain condition. Despite this, some still speculated about her supposed drug use. One known side effect of prolonged HGH use is acromegaly, which causes enlarged facial features and oversized internal organs due to hormonal imbalance. Joyner's post-mortem report mentioned an oversized heart, which, coupled with her athletic performance, could be a sign of HGH use. While this evidence remains inconclusive, it has left a question mark over Joyner's Olympic legacy.

This is the fastest woman of all time. No one can run that fast. This is Florence Griffith Joyner. Before setting up her Olympic career, Florence struggled in a family of 11 children that lived in poverty in Los Angeles. She was made fun of throughout school, but that didn't stop her from joining the track and field teams in high school and university. By 1984, she competed in the Olympics, taking home a silver medal, but she decided to push for even more. In 1988, during the Olympic trials, she lined up for a 100-meter race ready to set history. Florence Griffith Joyner blew away the field with a time of 10.49 seconds, still the world record in the women's 100 meters. She went on to win gold in the Olympics with a time of 10.54 seconds and also took home the gold medal in the 200 meters and 100-meter relay race. Florence passed away at the age of 38 in 1988, but she left behind an inspirational and untouchable legacy.

The American sprinter won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Flojo is out, and your neighbor goes with her, running away with it by six meters. She just has a different gear, taking 100-meter running to a different level. She looks the same, smiling, knowing she was pulling away. This is her race, this is her gold medal.