GOAT Track & Field - Jackie Joyner Kersee
Track & Field
Jacqueline Joyner Kersee
Born 1962 East St. Louis, Illinois
5’-10” 154 lbs UCLA (1980–1985)
Overcoming severe asthma Joyner Kersee was inspired by a movie about Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the “Greatest Female Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century. As a high school athlete at East St. Louis Lincoln Senior High School, she qualified for the finals in the long jump at the 1980 Olympic Trials, proceeding to earn gold metals in four Olympic games and three World Championships. Attending the University of Southern California (UCLA) she starred in both basketball, track & field where she scored 1,167 points during her collegiate basketball career,19th all time for the Bruins. Voted the greatest female athlete of all time, just ahead of Zaharias by Sports Illustrated for Women® magazine. In 2023 inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame®. A philanthropist and founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, for young people in East St. Louis to pursue athletics and academics. Now serving on the Board of Directors for USA Track & Field (U.S.A.T.F.).
CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
OLYMPICS
GOLD
1987 Rome Heptathlon & Long jump
1988 Seoul Heptathlon & Long jump
1992 Barcelona Heptathlon
SILVER
1982 Los Angelos Heptathlon
BRONZE
1992 Barcelona Long jump
1996 Atlanta Long Jump
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
GOLD
1987 Rome Heptathlon & Long jump
1991 Tokyo Long jump
1993 Stuttgart Heptathlon
GOOD WILL GAMES
GOLD
1986 Moscow Heptathlon
1990 Seattle Heptathlon
1994 Saint Petersburg Heptathlon
1987 Indianapolis Long jump
AWARDS
1983 & 1985 Broderick Award (now Honda Sports Award)
1986 James E. Sullivan Award
1986 & 1987 Jesse Owens Award
1992 George Thomas “Mickey” Leland Award – Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
1997 Jack Kelly Fair Play Award
2000 St. Louis Walk of Fame inductee
2005 was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois
2010 NCAA Silver Anniversary Awards honoree
2011 Dick Enberg Award, College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA)
2021 Webster University Doctor of Humane Letters
Jackie Joyner Kersee is an inspiration to many young women athletes to leap into the future with confidence.
Looking up and long! w2
Copyright: Willis Whiteside 2023 All Rights Reserved.
REFERENCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Joyner-Kersee
Artistic Perspective
The Greatest of All Time art is a passion of bringing historical sports or public figures to full color. The art starts with research into the personality and reviewing available images or photographs to reference. The research includes the historical location and fan fills bleacher seats for those who witness the moments. The 18” x 24 inch canvas is laid out with the contrasting color pencil of the primary figures or elements outlines. These lines become boundaries of colors, with distinguishing edges or sfumato blended or smoky edges or color – light shading or blending. The foreground is usually in focus with the subject figure in dynamic action. Careful attention is given to these autonomist positions as sometimes these are the most recognized images or captured photo moments of the subject. Crossing the finish line or hurling a fastball, the intent is the subject is flowing with eye movement so you don’t want to stop looking in on the details.
Applying color
Applying the mixed acrylic squeezed out of a tube with a 10- 20 minute dry time. Applying or blending the colors is a matter of color and water saturation. Appling the base colors from dark to light is usually the process. The base color layers then absorb the new wet layer to blend the 2-3 color mixtures to achieve the desired color or blends. The multi layers affect of adding more color achieves more intense color saturation or white or pure color to dark blending. The blank canvas to final brush stoke is normally 2-3 weeks. Working in 2-4 hours sessions usually in the early mornings. We hope you enjoy the art as intended to bring back the best of the sport! If you have a suggestion for a new GOAT please contact us.