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Stories of Olympic Decathlon and Heptathlon Stars

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Bruce Jenner:

Jenner broke his own world record while winning the Olympic decathlon gold medal in 1976. He also competed in 1972, finishing tenth in the Munich Games. Jenner won the national AAU decathlon title in 1974 and the Pan-American games in 1975, the year in which he set his first world decathlon record.

A motivational speaker, sports announcer, entrepreneur, commercial spokesman, actor, producer and author, Jenner is best known today as the father/stepfather in the E! reality TV show, “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” His business interests include Bruce Jenner Aviation, which sells corporate aircraft. The organizations he’s served include Special Olympics, the National Dyslexia Research Foundation and The Dream Foundation.

Rafer Johnson:

Johnson won the 1960 Olympic gold medal with a world record score after earning the bronze in 1956. He also won three national AAU championships. Johnson won the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete in 1960.

Johnson is a spokesperson and board member for the Hershey's Track & Field Games. He’s a board member of the People to People Sports Ambassador Programs and is a member of the International Board of Special Olympics. Johnson published an autobiography, “The Best That I Can Be,” in 1998. He’s made several film appearances, including playing a DEA agent in the James Bond film “License to Kill.”

Jackie Joyner-Kersee:

In Olympic heptathlon competition, Joyner-Kersee won the silver medal in 1984 and golds in 1988 and ’92. She holds the world heptathlon record with 7291 points. In the Olympic long jump, she struck gold in ’88 and added bronzes in 1992 and ’96. In World Championship competition she won the heptathlon in 1987 and ’93 and the long jump in ’87 and ’91. Other victories included the 1994 U.S. 100-meter hurdles title, 12 national long jump championships, eight U.S. heptathlon titles and the U.S. indoor 60-meter hurdles championship in 1992. Joyner-Kersee won NCAA heptathlon championships in 1982-83 for UCLA.

Joyner-Kersee established the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in 1988, which provides charitable assistance in the East St. Louis, Ill., area. The Foundation’s efforts included building the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis. She also helped to found Athletes for Hope, an organization which helps professional athletes get involved in charitable causes. She’s also involved in public speaking and appearances.

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