“You cannot change history”: Florence Griffith Joyner’s competitor Gwen Torrence wants 100m record to remain

“You cannot change history”: Florence Griffith Joyner’s competitor Gwen Torrence wants 100m record to remain

Florence Griffith Joyner

Florence Griffith Joyner also known as Flo-Jo, has held the legendary record in the women’s 100m of 10.49s, set all the way back in the late 1980s. Recently, her record came under speculation as one Jamaican official felt that it should be done away with and the the world record should be assigned to Elaine Thompson-Herah, who ran 10.54s last August.

The question of the technical status of Joyner’s record is in question for the Jamaican official Garth Gayle, who feels that Thompson-Herah’s mark “was done in the highest of international competition and by such, there is a bona fide argument that her efforts are worthy of admission. All the technical areas were covered, such as wind reading, and the authenticity of the track is not in question,” according to infobae.com.

Gwen Torrence believes that Florence Griffith Joyner’s record should stand

Florence Griffith Joyner
Florence Griffith Joyner

However, a fellow sprinter with Joyner, Gwen Torrence remains of the strong opinion that Joyner’s record is something quite unchangeable, and cannot just be given away. ”You can’t change history,” Torrence said. “The fact that it was zero wind reading is questionable, but you can’t erase history no matter how you put it.”

And Torrence, who won three Olympic gold medals, a silver and a bronze and was the world 100-meter champion in 1995, added further, saying “You can’t give away a world record.”

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