1433 Piggott Avenue

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, hailed as one of the greatest athletes in the world, was born and raised in a modest home in the Piggott neighborhood of East St. Louis. Though that home was destroyed by fire in 1986, it was where her legendary athletic journey began. Between 1977 and 1979, she won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Junior Olympic Pentathlon Championship three times, signaling the start of a remarkable career. After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1980, she attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1986.

Jackie and her brother, Al Joyner, both competed in the 1984 Olympic Games. Al made history as the first American in 80 years to win a gold medal in the triple jump, while Jackie, despite being injured, earned a silver medal in the heptathlon. The heptathlon includes seven events: the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter run, long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run.

Jackie returned to the Olympics in 1988 to win her first gold medal in the heptathlon and claimed another gold in the same event in 1992. With additional medals in the long jump, she became the first person ever to win medals in a multi-event competition across three consecutive Olympic Games. Her rise from a small East St. Louis home to Olympic greatness remains a powerful symbol of resilience, excellence, and inspiration.