Florence Griffith Joyner was born in Los Angeles, California. Florence's father, Jesse Griffith, was a professional boxer who often took her to meet his training partners. She became a talented runner at an early age, and soon focused her talents on athletics. At the age of twelve she began training with the Olympic swim team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City
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She made her first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of thirteen. At sixteen, Florence set three world records in the 100-meter dash, becoming the youngest woman to hold three world records simultaneously. She broke the world record for the 200 meters eight times in 1969, setting still another world record.
In 1980 she became the first woman to run 100 meters in less than ten seconds. The following year, she was honored as one of Time magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People in America". At age twenty-three, she captured her greatest athletic achievement when she became the first woman to run the 100 meters in under nine seconds.