Photo: Ash Carter / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jackie Joyner-Kersee isn't just a great athlete; to me she's the benchmark by which heptathletes are still measured. Six Olympic medals across four Games, mastering both the heptathlon and the long jump, is a level of versatility that borders on absurd. But what genuinely moves me is the arc: rising out of hardscrabble East St. Louis and then pouring herself back into that community long after retiring. The Sullivan Award and Living Legend honors only confirm what the times already told us. Greatness measured in stopwatches is rare; greatness measured in character is rarer, and she has both.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- Name (Japanese)
- ジャッキー・ジョイナー＝カーシー
- Reading
- じゃっきー・じょいなー＝かーしー
- Born
- March 3, 1962 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Tiger
- Origin
- East St. Louis, Illinois, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 178 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- basketball player / athletics competitor / long jumper / heptathlete / athlete
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- East St. Louis Lincoln High School
- University
- University of California, Los Angeles
Awards & achievements
- Library of Congress Living Legend
- 2015 Honda Sports Award for Track & Field
- 1987 Associated Press Athlete of the Year
- 1992 Phoenix Award
- 2021 Doctor of Humane Letters
- 1998 Doctor of Humane Letters
- 2008 Doctor of Humane Letters
- 1986 James E. Sullivan Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Jackie Joyner-Kersee born?
Born March 3, 1962 (age 64).
Where is Jackie Joyner-Kersee from?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is from East St. Louis, Illinois, United States.
What does Jackie Joyner-Kersee do?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee works as basketball player, athletics competitor, long jumper, heptathlete, athlete.
How tall is Jackie Joyner-Kersee?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 178 cm.
Basketball player — see all → · Athletics competitor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.