Jackie Joyner-Kersee does not believe her words alone are enough to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Despite being arguably the greatest female athlete of all time, Joyner-Kersee feels the stars of tomorrow need to actually be in her presence for her gospel to have any effect

Mother Nature might have prevented her from sharing her wisdom at the Youth Sports Clinic at the National Sports Centre on Saturday, which was cancelled as her flight was delayed because of Hurricane Nicole, she did, however, arrive in time to sprinkle some stardust on the Bermuda Olympic Association’s 80th anniversary celebrations during a whirlwind visit and has vowed to return to host a training camp fairly soon.

“It’s my first time in Bermuda and I’ve loved what I’ve seen so far,” said Joyner-Kersee, who delivered a motivational speech at the BOA’s gala at the Fairmont Southampton on Saturday.

“We kept watching the weather and we just said, ‘If they say it’s a go, we’re coming,’ as once I’ve made a commitment ... I’m just disappointed I wasn’t able to do the clinic, but it was out of my control.

“I did have an opportunity to speak to some of Bermuda’s athletes, though, and it was exciting to listen to them. I’m looking forward to coming back.”

A four-times Olympian, philanthropist and advocate for children’s education, Joyner-Kersee has remained active in athletics since hanging up her spikes after failing to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

She believes strongly in giving back to grass-roots programmes, particularly in her native East St Louis, where she helped raise more than $12 million to build The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Centre, which fulfills the unmet needs for youth and recreation in the deprived city.

“I work with kids all over, but I have a strong emphasis on St Louis because the kids from the area don’t believe they can be successful,” she said.

“I want them to see me and touch me, and that’s very important to me; I don’t want them to just read about me in a news clipping.

“Everyone wants to work with superstars, but we have to work with them when they’re rough and help them develop so they can realise their full potential.

“I didn’t know I was going to be an Olympic champion; someone saw the potential in me and told me, ‘If you work hard this is possible’.”

Picturesque Bermuda certainly bears little resemblance to the far harsher landscape that Joyner-Kersee grew up in, where drugs and crime infested the neighbourhood.

In the face of those seemingly impossible odds, Joyner-Kersee became virtually invincible in her heyday, winning three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in heptathlon and the long jump.

She uses those unrivalled accomplishments, as well as her powerful words, to inspire the young athletes she engages with, many of whom feel that success on the world stage is merely a fantasy.

With a population of about 65,000, some of Bermuda’s athletes may also struggle to “think big”, although Joyner-Kersee points to Clarence Hill’s bronze medal win at the 1976 Montreal Games as a clear path for them to follow.

“Sometimes you have to change your reality, you know, and you’ve got one medallist from here in Clarence,” she said.

“That one medal in boxing makes it possible, although there should be many more Clarences from Bermuda.

“You have to keep instilling that in the athletes, keep on believing and get them the support they need.”

Considering the wealth of talent in today’s heptathlon, with the likes of Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam, of Belgium, and Jessica Ennis-Hill, who retired last week, Joyner-Kersee is surprised her world record still stands.

Having possibly prolonged her own career beyond its natural conclusion, Joyner-Kersee said she fully understands Ennis-Hill’s decision to bow out in her prime at the age of 30.

The British athlete claimed silver in Rio to become the first woman to return to an Olympics and medal in heptathlon since Joyner-Kersee defended her title at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

“Jessica is one of the best, but I think she wanted to devote more time to being a mother after having little Reggie,” Joyner-Kersee said.

“You get to that point when you don’t have anything left to prove and it would have been difficult for her coming back at next year’s World Championships in the UK, with people comparing her to where she used to be.

“It’s difficult because sometimes it becomes internal and you feel you’re defeating yourself, and the expectations of others take the joy away.

“What Jessica was able to do last summer was incredible because she overcame injuries and just missed out on gold in Rio, where [Thiam] was unbelievable with a lifetime best.”

Joyner-Kersee, 54, is still raising the bar in her career as a sports administrator. She joined the USA Track and Field board of directors in 2012 and will run for presidency in December.

“Our election is soon and I’m going to keep my fingers crossed,” she said. “I’m going for the presidency and that would be a new challenge.”