The fastest woman ever recorded was Florence Delores Griffith Joyner, better known by her nickname “Flo-Jo,” an American track and field competitor. In 1988, she broke the world records in the 100 and 200 meters.
She rose to popularity in the late 1980s as a result of her unique personal style and record-breaking athleticism. California is where Griffith Joyner was born and reared. She started running at track meets when she was young because she was athletic.
She continued to compete in track and field while attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She qualified for the 1980 Olympics in the 100 meters while still a college student, but the US boycott prevented her from competing.
Four years later, in 1984, she competed in her first Olympics and took home a silver medal in the 200-meter event in Los Angeles. In the 100-meter sprint at the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, Griffith broke the previous mark. At the 1988 Olympics, she went on to win three gold medals. Here are all the details about her end.
Florence Griffith Joyner Death
Olympian sprint champion Florence Griffith Joyner passed unexpectedly a month ago from asphyxia after having a seizure in her sleep, southern California medical officials said on Tuesday.
The seizure was brought on by a cavernous angioma, a congenital malformation of the cerebral blood artery, according to Dr. Richard Fukumoto, chief forensic pathologist for the Orange County coroner in California.
Griffith Joyner, 38, had a toxicology test that revealed the presence of Tylenol and Benadryl tablets. Tests for illegal drugs, alcohol, and performance-enhancing substances came back negative, according to police at a press conference in Santa Ana, California.
According to Fukumoto’s autopsy, Griffith Joyner’s heart was in “good form” and “normal for an athlete’s heart.” Her death at departure was attributed to a cardiac attack, according to a family spokeswoman.
25% of people, many of whom are unaware, are thought to have blood artery malformations, according to Dr. Barbara Zaias, a neuropathologist for coroners. She says that in some others, microscopic bleeding results in convulsions or migraines.
Fukumoto said that Griffith Joyner was asphyxiating, that during her seizure she had been lying face down and had turned her head into the pillow, blocking her airways. Experts state that not all of these seizures are grand mal episodes that would be obvious to others.
According to Fukumoto, she suffocated to death. Doctors refused to comment on whether Griffith Joyner was aware that she had blood vessel problems or suffered seizures, and medical records were kept private. Her reason was unknown, although her relatives said that two years ago, while on a trip, she had a seizure and spent the night in the hospital.
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Fukumoto disputes that performance-enhancing drugs and cavernous angioma are related. Internist and specialist in sports medicine at New York University School of Medicine Gary I.
At her Mission Viejo, California, home, Griffith Joyner passed away on September 21. At the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988, Griffith Joyner took home three gold medals. Olympic triple jump champion Al Joyner reported his comatose and non-breathing wife to emergency medical personnel at 6:30 a.m. in 1984. This is an associated tweet:
September 21, 1998 — Olympic Gold Medalist Florence Griffith Joyner died in her sleep as the result of an epileptic seizure at the age of 38. pic.twitter.com/wlZlLDpc6T
— MoorInfo (@MoorInformation) September 21, 2023
Griffith Joyner made a big impression on the world track circuit with her long fingernails, eye-catching racing costumes, and lightning-fast speed. But because she shocked everyone by breaking the world records in the 100 and 200 meters and declaring her retirement shortly after the Olympics in Seoul, opponents too began to conjecture and accuse her of using performance-enhancing drugs like human growth hormone or steroids.
In the days that followed her death, though, doctors cautioned against trying to link her death to her use of illicit narcotics. They underlined how unclear the research was in that regard.
Griffith Joyner passed every drug test that she was given, even though there is no way to detect the presence of human growth hormone in urine. He acknowledged never having used any illicit drugs.
Her family saw the remarks made yesterday as evidence that she had been a model citizen and as a chance to continue her legacy as a brave warrior, devoted mother and wife, children’s book author, and energetic volunteer working with underprivileged children.