Is Olympic athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee disabled? Technically, no, but she has experienced health issues that have almost derailed her promising sports career. Joyner-Kersee, regarded as one of the ‘Greatest Female Athletes of All-Time,’ was diagnosed with asthma in college. But, with the right medicine and sheer determination, she didn’t allow her physical limitations to hinder her career. As a consequence, she won six Olympic medals, three of which were gold, over four Olympic events. Jacqueline, called Jackie, is a former American track and field athlete who dominated the heptathlon and long jump events. She was born on March 6, 1962. In 2023, she will have a net worth of $5 million.
She retired in the late 1990s after completing her athletic journey from college to the Olympics and World Championships. She has since worked as an advocate and philanthropist. She was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. There’s no disputing she’s been an inspiration to many female track and field competitors throughout the world, including Sydney McLaughlin, Allyson Felix, Lolo Jones, and many more.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s Disability: What Is Her Wrong With Her? Health Problem
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a four-time World Championship gold winner, was diagnosed with asthma while a UCLA student-athlete in the early 1980s. Asthma might be deemed a health concern rather than a handicap until it significantly interferes with one’s everyday life to fulfill the requirements for impairment. Joyner kept her health problems secret from her coach, fearing it would jeopardize her athletic future. Her dreams were crumbling right in front of her eyes. It took her a long time to realize that she had asthma and that she needed to take medicine.
However, as she regained control of herself, Jackie started to follow the doctor’s recommendations to manage her asthma. She competed in her first Olympics in 1984, at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She won silver in the heptathlon. Joyner-Kersee won her first Olympic gold medal in 1988, capturing two gold medals in the heptathlon and one in the long jump. Later, she brought three medals to two consecutive Olympics:
Gold in the heptathlon and bronze in the long jump at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. A bronze medal in the long jump at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She also won four gold medals in three World Championships (1987, 1991, and 1993), a gold medal in the 1987 Pan American Games, and four gold medals in the Good Will Games (1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998). Jakie became one of the most well-known sportsmen who have overcome severe asthma as a result of this.
What Does Jackie Joyner Do?
After being inspired to participate in sports after seeing a video about Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the Illinois native would eventually join her on the list of the best female athletes of all time. Jackie went to campaigning and charity after retiring from track and field. She is the founder and CEO of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, which was founded in 1988. It empowers and encourages East St. Louis adolescents’ athletic and academic development.
She is an outspoken advocate for children’s education and health concerns (particularly asthma). Jacqueline worked with Comcast to develop the Internet Essentials program in 2011. Joyner lives in Illinois with her husband, track coach Bob Kersee. In 1986, they married. Previously, she attempted relationships with average people, but none of them succeeded since her ex-boyfriends never supported her athletic career.
