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In 1993, it was expected that Jackie Joyner-Kersee would compete in
the long jump and heptathlon at the Stuttgart World Championships in
August. She had won the previous two world long jump titles, in 1987
and 1991, and the heptathlon title in 1987. (She was forced to withdraw
in the 1991 heptathlon through injury when leading comfortably). She
won the US national championships in both events at Eugene in June with a
long jump of 7.02m and a score of 6770 points in the heptathlon.
However, she was persuaded to concentrate her efforts at Stuttgart on
the heptathlon and did not enter the long jump competition. In the
heptathlon, Joyner-Kersee was not as dominant as she had been in her
previous world championships and Olympic triumphs. She started well in
the hurdles, but managed only 1.81m (see photo above) in the high
jump and lost ground.
She held a slim lead at the end of the first day
but after 6 events, and with just the 800m remaining, her tally of 5937
points was 7 points behind Germany's Sabine Braun. Braun had to beat
Joyner-Kersee in the 800m or lose to her by no more than half a second,
to win the gold medal. Although she stayed in touch in the early
stages, Joyner-Kersee sprinted clear in the last 300m, beating Braun by
over 3 seconds to claim her second world heptathlon title. In 1994,
Joyner-Kersee concentrated on the long jump, producing the longest three
jumps of the year, increasing her personal best to 7.49m, and moving to
second on the all-time world list. At her fifth World Championships
the following year in Gothenburg, she finished only 6th in the long jump
and after that moderate showing by her own high standards, she decided
to withdraw from the heptathlon competition. (Ron Casey)
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