Regina Joyce (born 7 February 1957) is an English born, Irish/American retired female

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

, who competed at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Biography

Regina Joyce and her younger sister

Monica Joyce Monica Joyce (born 16 July 1958) is an English born, Irish/American long distance runner who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Biography Monica and her older sister Regina Joyce grew up with their parents in Sussex, England. She was wi ...

grew up with their parents in

Sussex, England Sussex ( /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom and, later, a county. It includes the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and We ...

. Both sisters originally competed for England as junior athletes but switched to Ireland in 1982, based on the citizenship of their parents, for competitive reasons. Joyce won the British

WAAA Championships The WAAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Women's Amateur Athletic Association (WAAA) in England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event for women during its lifetime. Since 1880, the Amateur Athl ...

title in the 3,000 metres event at the

1980 WAAA Championships The 1980 WAAA Championships sponsored by Sunsilk, were the national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The event was held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, from 15 to 16 August 1980. The 5,000 m ...

. She set her personal best in the marathon with 2:32.56 in Scottsdale 1982. Also in 1982 she finished second behind her younger sister Monica at the

1982 WAAA Championships The 1982 WAAA Championships sponsored by the Trustee Savings Bank, were the national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The event was held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, from 30 to 31 July 198 ...

. At the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an i ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Joyce finished 23rd in the marathon. Her sister Monica also competed in the 1984 Olympics in the 3000 metres. Joyce competed as an NCAA athlete in the U.S. for the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, where she set school records in every event from 1500m to 10 km. Joyce became an American citizen in 1993, and continues to run in the Masters division.

Achievements

References

sports-reference
1957 births Living people Irish female long-distance runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Ireland Olympic athletes for Ireland Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Washington Huskies women's track and field athletes 20th-century Irish sportswomen {{ireland-athletics-bio-stub