Valerie Brisco-Hooks Biography - Brother's Death Shaped Her Life, Pregnancy Impeeds Performance, Chronology, An Unprecedented Olympic Achievement

American sprinter

Valerie Brisco-Hooks

Like a shooting star, sprinter Valerie Brisco-Hooks shone for a brief, glorious moment in the public's eye before speeding away, never to reach the same vaunted height. While she shone, however, Brisco-Hooks burned especially bright. In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Brisco-Hooks accomplished what no other athlete, man or woman, had ever done by winning gold medals in 200- and 400-meter races in the same Olympic Games. She capped her starring performance by running a leg on the United States women's 4×400 meter relay team and capturing her third gold medal of the games.