Some people are embarrassed to say they came from East St. Louis, Ill., but now more people want to claim it. I grew up in a community center and I knew what it gave me. I always knew I wanted to give back and help people because people helped me.

84 m
Javelin throw : 50. She had red-shirted during the 1983-1984 academic year to concentrate on the heptathlon for the 1984 Summer Olympics. The Bruins advanced to the West Regional semi-finals of the 1985 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament before losing to eventual runner-up Georgia.

After retiring as a competitive athlete Joyner-Kersee has been involved with many philanthropic efforts and has joined the Board of Directors for USA Track & Field (USATF) the national governing body of the sport. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century just ahead of Babe Didrikson Zaharias.