--- description: Florence Griffith Joyner is one of the leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the last century. title: Florence Griffith Joyner: 100 Women of the Year image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10134c13a276e8cc/698a0aefdb29873407265035/social-1988_Florence-Griffith-Joyner.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 1988: Florence Griffith Joyner Mar 5, 2020 11:40 AM CUT  Tony Duffy—Allsport/Getty by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 5, 2020 11:40 AM CUT Known by a single name—Flo-Jo—[Florence Griffith Joyner](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968640,00.html "undefined") remains the fastest woman in history. At the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis, Griffith Joyner ran the 100 m in 10.49 sec., a world record that still stands. “Cannot be,” an announcer said after the race. “No one can run that fast.” At the Seoul Olympics that September, Griffith Joyner won gold in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 x 100 relay, and set a 200-m world record of 21.34 sec. that’s yet to be broken. Her fashion also drew attention: she wore one-legged racing suits and long, brightly painted fingernails, flouting the idea that feminine fashion and sports don’t mix. “Conventional is not for me,” she once said. In the track world, where the use of [performance-enhancing drugs](https://time.com/5166226/alexander-krushelnytsky-russia-doping-olympics-curling/ "undefined") is prevalent, Griffith Joyner’s records will forever be viewed by some with suspicion. One track runner publicly declared that he sold Griffith Joyner human growth hormone. She vehemently denied it. But Flo-Jo died—young, at 38, after an epileptic seizure in 1998—an unforgettable icon. “We were dazzled by her speed,” President Bill Clinton said, “humbled by her talent and captivated by her style.” _—Sean Gregory_ --- _This article is part of_ [_100 Women of the Year_](https://time.com/100-women-of-the-year/ "undefined")_, TIME’s list of the most influential women of the past century. Read more_ [_about the project_](https://time.com/5793734/time-100-women-of-the-year-issue/ "undefined")_, explore the_ [_100 covers_](https://time.com/5793732/time-100-women-of-the-year-covers/ "undefined") _and sign up for our_ [_Inside TIME newsletter_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletters?newsletter%5Fname=INSIDE%5FTIME&source=article-woy-footer "undefined") _for more._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5793709/florence-griffith-joyner-100-women-of-the-year/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5793709/florence-griffith-joyner-100-women-of-the-year/"},"headline":"1988: Florence Griffith Joyner","datePublished":"2020-03-05T11:40:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:21:35.247Z","description":"Florence Griffith Joyner is one of the leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the last century.","url":"https://time.com/5793709/florence-griffith-joyner-100-women-of-the-year/","keywords":["Women of the Year","Women of the Year - Tech/Athletes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10134c13a276e8cc/698a0aefdb29873407265035/social-1988_Florence-Griffith-Joyner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10134c13a276e8cc/698a0aefdb29873407265035/social-1988_Florence-Griffith-Joyner.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SOCIAL - Women of the Year: 1988 Florence-Griffith-Joyner","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5793709/florence-griffith-joyner-100-women-of-the-year/","name":"1988: Florence Griffith Joyner"}}]}] ```