In the semifinal of the women's 200m at the Seoul Olympics, Griffith Joyner broke the world record with a time of 21.56 seconds.
On the morning of September 29, 1988, in the semifinal round of the women's 200 meters at the Seoul Olympics, Florence Griffith Joyner shattered the existing world record, clocking 21.56 seconds. This mark eclipsed the previous global best and stunned observers, given that world-class sprinters rarely break records in preliminary rounds of major championships.
The run demonstrated Griffith Joyner's exceptional acceleration and top-end speed, showcasing the technical refinements she and her coaching team had made to her start and curve-running mechanics in preparation for the Games. It was a preview of an even faster performance to come just hours later in the final.
This achievement underscored the extraordinary athletic form Griffith Joyner had reached by the fall of 1988, following her stunning 100m world record set at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July. Together, these performances established her as the dominant sprinter of her generation and one of the greatest in history.
The semifinal world record was a rare instance of a record being broken twice in the same day in the same event at an Olympic Games, a feat that added to the mystique and legend of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and Griffith Joyner's singular athletic legacy.