Sport: Athletics

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Biography:  Her eye-catching fingernails and one-legged leotards captured the world's attention. But Florence Griffith Joyner always had substance to back her style. Affectionately known as FloJo, the flamboyant sprinter captivated audiences at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul when she won three gold medals (plus a silver), setting two world records in the process. Even after her death of a heart seizure in 1998, Griffith Joyner remains the fastest woman in history as the world-record holder in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Since 1988, when she set the 100-meter mark of 10.49 seconds in the quarterfinals of the Olympic trials, no other woman has even broken the 10.60-second barrier. One of 11 children raised in a tough Watts neighborhood, Griffith Joyner ran track at Jordan High School, where she anchored a 440-yard relay team that posted the nation's fastest time one year. After graduation, Griffith Joyner enrolled at Cal State Northridge, where she trained with Bob Kersee, whom she later followed to UCLA. She won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, then retired briefly. Griffith Joyner re-emerged in 1987, when she placed second in the World Championship Games in Rome. Her combination of glamour and athleticism made Griffith Joyner the star of the 1988 Olympics. But her muscular physique and history-making performance also made her a target for skeptics. Her abrupt retirement following the Games in Seoul was surrounded by rumors of steroid use. However, she never failed a drug test. In retirement, Griffith Joyner busied herself with various commercial ventures, including the design athletic apparel, and coached her husband, champion jumper Al Joyner. She also gave birth to a daughter, Mary, and established the Florence Griffith Joyner Youth Foundation. She was named co-chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1993. The former Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and Sullivan Award winner was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995.