Competing for UCLA in track and basketball, Joyner-Kersee made the U.S. Olympic Team in 1984 in the heptathlon, winning the Silver Medal in her familiar city of Los Angeles. Joyner-Kersee truly arrived in 1987, winning the heptathlon and long jump at the Rome World Championships, and she repeated that success by winning both disciplines at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
She wasn’t done, as in 1992 in Barcelona, she retained her heptathlon gold, and winning the Bronze in the long jump, and achieved the Bronze again in the long jump at the 1996 Atlanta games. Amongst all of this success, Joyner-Kersee was a four-time Gold Medal winner in the heptathlon at the Goodwill Games.
Sports Illustrated would name her the greatest athlete of all-time, an honor that tells you all you need to know about her accomplishments.