Joyner-Kersee, who was often described as "the best all-around female athlete in the world, " was an amazing patient who overcame her asthmatic condition to establish herself as one of track and field's most competitive and determined performers ever.

In 1988, she won two gold medals in the Olympics in Seoul, Korea exhibiting incredible perseverance in the heptathlon (a punishing, two-day contest that tests a great athlete's strength, speed and stamina) plus the long jump.

In the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain, Joyner-Kersee retained her title as the "world's greatest female athlete" together with another gold medal performance in the heptathlon. The two-time world champion in both long jump (1987, 1991) and heptathlon (1987, 1993) was also the 1986 recipient of the Sullivan Award, presented to the country's top amateur athlete.

Joyner-Kersee was also an outstanding basketball player who routinely competed with the majority of the game's best players in her spare time. I truly believe that Joyner-Kersee is a world-class athlete that would excel in any pursuit.