A Truly Golden Woman

There are all kinds of Olympic champions. Most eke out a single victory against the best amateur athletes in the world. A very few maintain their gold-winning ways over eight or 12 years. Then there are once-in-a-lifetime champions like Florence Griffith Joyner who redefine their sport. They so dominate their events that spectators and competitors alike are left awe-struck.

In the sprints, a victory of two- or three-tenths of a second is a rout, a cakewalk. In the trials before the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea, Griffith Joyner set a world record of 10.49 seconds in the 100-meter race. No one else has come close to that since. In fact, 11.1 seconds is still good enough to win a lot of international track meets. Griffith Joyner’s 200-meter record of 21.34 at Seoul was equally remarkable, still a full 1 1/2 seconds better than today’s typical meet-winning times.

Griffith Joyner, who was found dead Monday in her bed at age 38, often won by margins so great that it looked as though she was running alone. This native of Watts and graduate of David Starr Jordan High School in South Los Angeles was an idol and a symbol of perseverance and excellence to men and women alike. The UCLA graduate also always had time for charitable events and young athletes. In her sport, we may never see her like again.