Jacqueline Joyner was born in East St. Louis, Illinois and went to UCLA. She is the sister-in-law of Florence Griffith Joyner. Her brother, Al Joyner, is also an important runner.

Apart from the sudden death of her sister in law, Joyner-Kersee endured great tragedy as a young child: When she was 11, she saw a man get killed. A few years later, she called her grandmother to talk, only to find out her grandmother too, had been killed.

International Games Competed In

• 1983 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki
• 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles
• 1986 Goodwill Games, Moscow
• 1987 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Rome
• 1987 Pan American Games, Indianapolis
• 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul
• 1992 Summer Olympics, Barcelona
• 1993 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Stuttgart

• Relays Hall of Fame