On Saturday 31st July 2021 Elaine Thompson-Herah became the fastest woman alive. The Jamaican sprinter earned the title during the women’s 100m final at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo with a blistering time of 10.61 seconds. This time beat Florence Griffith Joyner’s 100m Olympic records which was set at 10.62s at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Thompson-Herah’s time is however now the second-fastest time recorded in the event. The record for the fastest woman in history still belongs to Griffith Joyner’s with her time of 10.49s which she set at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1988.
Flo-Jo
When Joyner Burst onto the scene in the 80s, many had their doubts.
“That cannot be, no one can run that fast.”
said the announcer (At the Seoul Olympics | 1988)
On a scorching afternoon in Indianapolis at the US Olympic Trials in ’88, a new face burst onto the athletics scene. Her name, Florence Griffiths Joyner who would soon be known simply as Flo-Jo.
Initial attention drew toward her rather unique attire. A one-legged racing suit & long, brightly painted fingernails, defying the idea at the time that feminine fashion & sports don’t mix.
“Conventional is not for me, it never has been.”
Florence Griffiths Joyner
In the same race, heavy favorite & world record holder Evelyn Ashford was the one most came to see.
As the gun fired & the race begun in what felt like a blink of an eye. Flo-Jo won the race obliterating Ashford’s x100-meter world record of 10.76 with a new record time of 10.49.
Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock.com
That September at the Seoul Olympics, Flo-Jo won gold in the 100m, 200m & 4 x 100 relay, setting a 200m world record of 21.34 sec. Her world records in both 100 & 200-meter races remain unbeaten, keeping her crowned the fastest woman of all time.
Some, however, questioned the validity of her 100m record. A supposedly faulty wind gauge & others including her nearest rival Ashford questioned whether her runs were facilitated by performance-enhancing drugs even though she never failed a drug test.
Flo-Jo became the most decorated female sprinter in U.S. Olympic history but her track achievements were much overlooked because of other more popular athletes at the same games.
Her crossover with fashion became a cultural phenomenon. She designed NBA uniforms for the NBA basketball team the Indiana Pacers & had her own branding & toy doll on the market – another rare feat for a female athlete.
Sadly, on the night of September 21, 1998, Flo-Jo died unexpectedly when she suffocated in her sleep during a severe epileptic seizure at the age of just 38.
Sha’Carri Richardson
The Toyko Olympics of 2021 were hugely hyped for a potential mega race with the like of Thompson-Herah & her Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce but it was the emergence of another sprinter that most had highly anticipated to best challenge Flo-Jo’s record. That person being Sha’Carri Richardson.
The sensational Richardson is already being dubbed the new Flo-Jo after establishing herself as a record contender after winning the 100m in 10.86 seconds at trails. Unfortunately not long after & just prior to the Olympics games, Richardson reportedly tested positive for a banned substance found in cannabis.
Richardson – who is the fastest woman in America – revealed that her mother had died the week prior & as a way to cope with the loss she legally smoked some cannabis.
Her removal from the games means we will now have to wait sometime before we can truly see if she dethrone the queen.
“I believe in the impossible because no one else does, & that gives me an excellent chance at accomplishing it.”
Florence Griffiths Joyner (Flo-Jo)
