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Turning Back Time: Tracy Mattes & Jackie Joyner Kersee (from St. Louis Dispatch)

The IAAF World Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo is one of the biggest nights of the year for the sport of Athletics. In a grand spectacle at the prestigious Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and IAAF President Lamine Diack, the night honors the World's Best Male and Female Track & Field Athletes of the year. After the show, however, the gala also turns into a special reunion for former athletes to reminisce and experience the nostalgia of their fondest experiences in their sport. Such was the case for USA Track & Field team members Tracy Mattes & Jackie Joyner Kersee.

In 1995 Tracy Mattes and Jackie Joyner Kersee were teammates on the USA's Bronze Medal winning 4X400 Meter Relay at the Olympic Festival. Here in this newspaper photo below (courtesy of the St. Louis Dispatch) Mattes, who ran the lead off leg of the relay, handed off the baton to Joyner-Kersee. The team finished third overall, making it onto the medals podium taking home the bronze medal.

Tracy Mattes & Jackie Joyner Kersee were USA teammates on the 4X400 Relay,
shown here handing off the baton at the Olympic Festival. The team won the Bronze Medal.

At the 2008 World Athletics Gala, Tracy Mattes
& Jackie Joyner Kersee share laughs
and stories about their competition days.

Now 13 years later in Monaco, at the glamorous IAAF Gala, Tracy & Jackie still looked every bit the athletes they were back when they were competing. (and neither looks like they have aged one bit) Both women say those days of grueling training schedules are behind them. While they obviously still stay in great shape, both also continue to have professional success long after their athletic careers ended.

Tracy says running on the relay with Jackie was definitely one of the most memorable times of her track career. "I was a young athlete and Jackie Joyner Kersee was my hero in sport. I qualified for the US team and got this chance to run with her on the relay. For me it was sort of surreal. It was like a young rookie basketball player starting a game with Michael Jordan when he was with the Chicago Bulls. It was incredible. She was incredible. She really offered a lot of guidance since I was just out of college, kind of like a big sister. I will never forget that. Her success is legendary and really paved the way for women in sports all across the board. She will always be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. That photo is still sitting on my desk and will always be one of my proudest and fondest memories in sport."

At this year's Gala, Jackie was given a special award representing 80 years of Women Athletes at the Olympic Games.

IAAF Athletes of the Year awards
to Yelena Isinbayeva & Usain Bolt

Tracy Mattes, Prince Albert II of Monaco
& Sandra Farmer Patrick

Tracy Mattes, Usain Bolt
& Judy Churchill

Lashawn Merritt, Judy Churchill,
Sandra Farmer Patrick, Tracy Mattes & Angelo Taylor
Sergey Bubka, Tracy Mattes, & Kory Tarpenning

Tracy Mattes, Dick Fosbury & Robin Fosbury
Judy Churchill, Sandra Farmer Patrick & Tracy Mattes