Heptathlon, Women

By 1988 Jackie Joyner-Kersee was easily the world’s top all-around female athlete. She had played basketball at UCLA, she was a world-class long jumper, and in 1986, she twice broke the world heptathlon record, becoming the first to surpass 7,000 points. At the 1988 Olympic Trials she again broke the world record, scoring 7,215. She was a prohibitive favorite in this event in Seoul, possessing the top five marks of all-time, and she did not disappoint. In the first five events, she won the 100 hurdles, tied for first in the high jump, was second in the shot put, won the 200 metres, and won the long jump. She led Sabine John by 179 points after day one and by almost 400 points after the long jump, and shattered the world record with 7,291, which still stands as the world record thru 2025.