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SEOUL – CIRCA 1988: Florence Griffith Joyner #569 of the United States competes in the Games of the XXIV Olympiad at the 1988 Summer Olympics circa 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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SEOUL – CIRCA 1988: Florence Griffith Joyner #569 of the United States competes in the Games of the XXIV Olympiad at the 1988 Summer Olympics circa 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
When Florence Griffith Joyner ran on the tracks, it was a sight to behold. With her signature long nails, her apparel, everything went hand in hand as she became one of the best sprinters in the world. Likewise, her 100 and 200-meters world record stands up to date. Beating that record, like Bolt’s world record, may look hard for most athletes. However, Elaine Thompson-Herah did the unthinkable.
She defeated Flo-Jo’s Olympic record during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a sensational run.
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Elaine Thompson-Herah breaks Florence Griffith Joyner record
Flo-Jo set the world record back in 1988 when she competed in the 100-meters Olympic Trials. She set a time of 10.49 to shock athletics fans. Soon after, she took part in the Seoul Olympics and won the 100-meters by setting a time of 10.62. After a long time, the hoodoo is finally broken. Thompson-Herah showed people why she is the best sprinter in the game right now with her power running style. She set a time of 10.61 seconds to create a new Olympic record.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Elaine Thompson-Herah of Team Jamaica celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Women’s 200m Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The race saw the Jamaican trio of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson finishing second and third. Thus, these ladies have dominated the track season this time around. They won many races with the trio leading the line for women in the 100-meters competition. However, what does it take to beat the world record set by Griffith Joyner?
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Flo-Jo’s incredible legacy
The talented sprinter wanted to be the best in the world. Her time of 10.49 is still undefeated as Thompson-Herah came close. She ran a 10.54 after the Olympics during the Eugene Diamond League. Her husband back then, Al Joyner, spoke about her performances and how she did not want anyone to catch her legacy.
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“I remember she once told me, ‘I never want anybody to be like me. I want them to make bigger footsteps than me. That was always her dream,”?said Al Joyner.
Olympic athlete Florence Griffith Joyner was born in Los Angeles, CA on this day in 1959! Flo Jo sprinted to three gold medals at the '88 Summer Olympics, earning five in her career & setting multiple world records in Track & Field.#HERstory#WomeninSports pic.twitter.com/P4tKfFGM4I
— Women of HERstory: A Podcast (@TheHERstorypod) December 21, 2021
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With Thompson-Herah coming close to defeating the record, she will hope to achieve that as well. Running 10.54 made her closer to the record than any other woman. With the 2021 track season, this would be the next step that she would want. Can she finally break Flo-Jo’s long-standing world record?
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