Track and field legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee to visit Carthage College Oct. 14-15

Three-time Olympic gold medalist and international humanitarian Jackie Joyner-Kersee will visit Carthage College during Homecoming and Family Weekend Oct. 14-17. Joyner-Kersee will discuss the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games and deliver the keynote address at the 150 Years of Carthage Women closing celebration. 

“Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to share my story to many audiences around the world, but there is always something special about speaking to young people, which is why I’m excited to come to Carthage,” Joyner-Kersee said. “These people are our future. They have their whole lives in front of them; endless possibilities and many unforeseen challenges. There is so much potential. I hope that something I’ve been through may help guide them in any small way toward seeing their own dreams come true.”

One of the most decorated female athletes of all time, Joyner-Kersee, dominated the track and field circuit in the 1980s and ’90s. She won six medals spanning four Olympic Games and holds the world record mark in the heptathlon. In 2004, she was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Following her illustrious career, Joyner-Kersee set her sights on aiding others. She created The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation which strives to change the lives of at-risk and low-income children in East St. Louis and across the U.S. She also helped establish Athletes for Hope and is an advocate for healthy lifestyles.

On Thursday, Oct. 14, Daniel Orlando Diaz, director of World Cup, Olympic, and Cross-Platform Partnerships at NBCUniversal Media will join Joyner-Kersee for Carthage College’s Spotlight on Sports Speaker Series. Diaz is a Carthage alumnus who graduated in 2011 with cum laude honors while majoring in communication, public relations, and Spanish.

Diaz is responsible for TV and digital video ad sponsorship of the World Cup, Olympics, and more across NBCUniversal™ owned television stations.

To register for the Spotlight on Sports Series, The World is Watching: Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020, and Beijing 2022 with Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Daniel Orlando Diaz visit  https://www.carthage.edu/news/spotlight-on-sports/.

To register for the 150 Years of Carthage Women Closing Celebration with Jackie Joyner-Kersee and learn more about Homecoming and Family Weekend events visit  https://www.carthage.edu/events/homecoming/schedule/.

These events are free and open to the public.