Olympian legend or all-time cheat? Everyone's got their own opinion about
Florence Griffith Joyner. But what have we learned in the years since her death?
American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner was a celebrated athlete in her time. On
top of her many accomplishments in the mid-to-late 1980s, she set several world
records and won a number of Olympic gold and silver medals. Joyner's extravagant
personal style and charismatic personality set her apart from her athletic colleagues,
both in and out of competitions. Sadly, when an athlete is as successful as Joyner was in
her lifetime, suspicion often follows. Such was the case all throughout Flo-Jo's career,
relating, in particular, to the use of HGH, or human growth hormone.
The accusations leveled at Joyner began in earnest one year after the 1988 season.
During this time, Joyner displayed rapid improvement in her performance.
"That felt good. People are probably doubting me
now — can I run 10.49 again? I do believe that I can."
The speculation regarding her drug use only intensified when Joyner died suddenly in 1998
at age 38. As it turned out, the autopsy report revealed not only what had killed the athlete, but
also the question of whether performance-enhancing drugs had played a role in her death.
Joyner, a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles, first caught the
attention of track fans at the 1984 Olympic Games, which took place in her home town of Los Angeles.
She won silver that year in the 200-meter race, but was nevertheless disappointed with her
performance — so she retired. By 1987, however, Joyner was back at it and better than ever,
spurred on by a new weight training regimen and a refinement in her running technique.
This hard work paid off for Joyner in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul,
South Korea, where she set a world record and won three gold medals and a silver.
According to Joyner herself, her sudden improvement in her performance came down
to a strict diet and intense exercise. In 1988, however, fellow American sprinter Darrell Robinson
claimed in a paid interview that he had purchased HGH for Joyner at her request. Joyner denied these
allegations and passed several drug screenings, though HGH was not tested for at the time; in
fact, it wasn't even banned by the International Olympic Committee until that year. To this day,
there are few ways to definitively prove or disprove if an athlete has taken HGH,
and for this reason it's speculated to be among the most abused PEDs in athletic competition.
When Joyner died in 1998, some wondered whether or not PEDs could have played a part. As far as the
toxicology report is concerned, however, Joyner had only acetaminophen in her system, as well as
the allergy medication Benadryl. Neither drug was ruled to be a factor in her death. Joyner
had instead been killed by a congenital brain condition called cavernous angioma.
This rare brain condition causes blood to pool outside areas where it normally would,
particularly in the brain and spinal tissue. Symptoms of cavernous angioma
include headaches and epileptic-like seizures that can sometimes lead to suffocation — which
is exactly what happened to Joyner. Roughly 25% of the population suffers from this condition,
and it's possible to live your life without ever knowing it.
Nowadays, CAT scans are able to catch cavernous angioma, and, notably,
there is no known link between the condition and PED, steroid, or HGH intake. At the time,
then International Amateur Athletic Federation President Primo Nebiolo said:
"This report ensures that Florence Griffith Joyner will be able to rest in peace."
According to her autopsy, Joyner's official cause of death was ruled to be seizure-induced
asphyxiation on account of a congenital brain condition. In the minds of some, however,
this was not enough, and the Olympian's supposed drug use was not totally put to
rest. One known side effect of prolonged HGH use is acromegaly, a condition that
causes enlarged facial features and oversized internal organs due to a hormonal imbalance.
Symptoms of acromegaly also include abnormal bone growth, particularly in the hands and feet.
Joyner's post-mortem report does mention an oversized heart, among other organs,
which, coupled with her athletic performance throughout her career,
could be a sign of HGH use. While this evidence remains inconclusive at best,
it appears to have left an indelible question mark hovering over Joyner's Olympic legacy.