Florence Joyner Olympic Memorabilia Treasure Trove Returned To Her Husband

Rene Nezhoda of “Storage Wars” recently came across a sports collector’s dream. A friend of his came across a storage unit filled with Olympic-used memorabilia from the legendary Florence Joyner. FloJo was the star of the 1988 Summer Games after winning three gold medals, including the 100 and 200-meter dash.

The collection included magazines, rare photos, autographed Barbie dolls, and even FloJo’s shoes. The initial storage unit cost several thousand dollars. To those close to Florence, the treasures meant even more.

Florence Griffith Joyner’s husband, Al Joyner, caught wind that the items had been found through friends and family members. They reached out to Rene Nezhoda to try and make a deal. Florence passed away in 1998. Al wanted to have the memorabilia as a connection to his late wife.

Rene met with Joyner in San Diego. While he did charge Al Joyner for the merchandise, TMZ Sports reports that he got a generous discount. Rene said the important part was making sure the items got back to where they belonged.

Al said the most precious item of all was FloJo’s weight belt. The two used it when they used to work out together. Al has now been reunited with that as well as all of the other memories.

Florence Joyner died of suffocation in her sleep in 1998. Her passing was unexpected and a huge shock to Al Joyner. The 1988 Olympic gear won’t bring her back, but having it will mean that Al always has something special when he reflects on her life and their relationship.

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