Florence Griffith Joyner, the legendary American sprinter nicknamed "Flo-Jo", has died at the age of 38 from a heart seizure.
USA Track and Field spokesman, Pete Cava, confirmed the death of the sprinter who won four medals at the 1988 Seoul Games, equalling the women's Olympic record.
Griffith-Joyner first captured the headlines with her amazing series of runs in the US trials 10 years ago, which included a world record of 10.49 seconds in the quarter-final of the 100 metres.
She showed brilliant form at the Olympics in South Korea, where she won the 100m in a wind-assisted 10.54 seconds, then set two world records at the 200m, 21.56 in the semi-final and 21.34 in the final.
The runner, known for her extravagant, self-designed running uniforms and long fingernails, completed a triple gold in the sprint relay, then earned a silver medal in the 4x400m relay.
She retired immediately after the 1988 games, with many critics claiming her astonishing rise to prominence had been achieved on the back of performance-enhancing substances - accusations which she always denied.
Griffith-Joyner, who married 1984 Olympic triple-jump gold medallist, Al Joyner, in October 1987, also won a 1984 Olympic silver medal in the heptathlon and 1992 bronze medal in the long jump.
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