BARCELONA, Spain -- Jackie Joyner-Kersee is used to being first at the finish line. Now she is first in the record books, too.
Joyner-Kersee proved she is still the best in the heptathlon Sunday, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the event at the Olympic Games.
Joyner-Kersee scored 7,044 points, beating Irina Belova of the Unified Team by 199 points. Sabine Braun of Germany was third with 6, 649.
Joyner-Kersee was never on pace to beat her world record of 7,291 set at the 1988 Olympics and she didn't care.
'The score didn't matter,' she said. 'I just wanted to be the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals. Mentally, this was a challenge, but I really wanted it.'
She ran 12.85 in the 100-meter hurdles, high jumped 6-foot, 3 inches, threw the shot put 46-4 , ran 23.12 seconds in the 200-meter dash, long-jumped 23-3 , threw the javelin 147-7 and ran 2:11.79 in the 800 meters.
Moments after finishing the 800 meters, the final event of the two- day, seven-event competition, Joyner-Kersde was embraced'by teamIate Gail Devers. Devers won an unexpected gold medal in the 100 meters Saturday as Joyner-Kersee was competing in the first four events of the heptathlon.
'I knew I wanted to come back,' said Joyner-Kersee, 30, who won the gold medal in 1988 and the silver in 1984. 'It's been tough mentally. People see me as invincible, but every day in practice I have to try to keep that motivation and drive.
'Seeing other great heptathletes like Irina and Sabine coming up adds to the fire. 'I don't underestimate anybody.'
Joyner-Kersee failed to finish the heptathlon in the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo when she pulled a hamstring while running the 200 and fell to the track.
Braun, the 1990 European champion, went on to win the 1991 world title and Belova finished third.
Until Tokyo, Joyner-Kersee had won 14 consecutive heptathlon competitions. She has raised the world record in the event four times and has the six best scores in history.
She is also the defenged in the Olympics by Heike Dreschler of Germany.
Joyner-Kersee, who is married to Ydr coach Bob Kersee, said she isn't sure about her plans to have a child.
'I would like to start a family, but I don't know when that time is going to come,' she said. 'I think I may be running out of time but next year is the World Championshipsin Stuttgart, Germany and I want to compete there.'
She said she intends to close out her competitive career at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
'I started my career on American soil at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and I'd like to retire on American soil,' she said.
