GRIFFITH'S 200 METER RECORD NAMED 19th GREATEST MOMENT

 

 
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National Track & Field Hall of Famer Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo) setting the women's 200m world record in 1988 was honored by USA Track & Field as the 19th greatest moment in U.S track and field in the last 25 years.

After shocking the world with her electrifying women's 100m world record of 10.49 seconds at the 1988 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Griffith Joyner entered the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul as a heavy favorite to win gold in the 100m and 200 meters.

After winning the 100m gold medal in a wind-aided 10.54 seconds, Griffith Joyner brought her full attention to the 200 meters. In the semifinals, Flo-Jo offered a preview of what was to come in setting a new world record of 21.56 seconds, shattering the previous standard of 21.71 established by Marita Koch and equaled by Heike Drechsler, both of East Germany.

A little less than two hours later, Griffith Joyner ran in the 200m final, her eighth race in five days. After holding a slight lead at the halfway mark, Flo-Jo left the field behind in destroying her own world record in the gold medal winning time of 21.34. Her 100m and 200m records still stand.

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