Florence Joyner Olympiad Park

This park and statue were dedicated to local resident and Olympic gold medalist Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner. The park entrance is at the part of the neighborhood where she lived.

Florence was born on December 21, 1959, in Los Angeles and started running at age seven.  She won the Jesse Owen National Youth Games at age 14 and went on to be a star athlete for her high school but had to drop out of college and take a job as a bank teller to help her family.  She continued to run and her track coach help find her some financial aid which made it possible for her to return to college.  She won the silver medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics; and three gold medals and a silver medal in the 1988 Olympic games. She previously qualified for the 1980 Olympic team but the United States boycotted those games. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Griffith_Joyner http://missionviejoparks.com/flo-jo-olympiad-park-in-mission-viejo-ca-92692/ http://cityofmissionviejo.org/CityDirectory/ http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/10/sport/olympics-flo-jo-seoul/ http://www.biography.com/people/florence-joyner-9542053