Mary Joyner, Daughter of Olympic Track Legends, Wows On “America’s Got Talent” [Video]

Mary Joyner stunned judges with her audition on America’s Got Talent, and that audition just might take the aspiring singer places. Even cooler than the thought of Joyner’s potential is her back-story, being the daughter of Olympic track champions.

Genuine talent in AGT auditions has been running a little thin lately, though the last act on Monday night’s knuckle-dragging run reawakened the audiences and judges alike. Meet Mary Joyner, a 21-year-old college student and aspiring singer, who floored the judges with her rendition of “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. After her audition, she said that she fell in love with singing when she was only in middle school, causing judge Howie Mandel to reply that everyone had just fallen in love with her, reports the Examiner.

According to Mercury News, Howard Stern said it best: “You had me in 30 seconds.”

As stated, Joyner is actually the daughter of Olympic track champions Al Joyner and Florence Griffith-Joyner. Florence died of epilepsy in 1998, vowing to help her daughter fulfill her dreams of becoming a singer. As the judges pushed Mary through to Vegas, her father Al Joyner joined her on stage with tears in his eyes and a father’s pride. Howie asked Mary if she had any aspiration to follow in her parent’s footsteps, causing her to reply, “I started my own path and it’s singing.”

Still, Mary Joyner’s career path may overlap with the careers of her parents, according to TMZ. Those in charge of the Team USA Olympic Track and Field Team were apparently so taken by Joyner’s performance that they offered her a job – singing the national anthem at the U.S. Track and Field trials in Eugene, Oregon later in the month. “It’s great to see that Mary is achieving her goals and dreams just as her mother did,” the rep said.

Either way, Mary Joyner got her three votes and is on her way to the next round on AGT.

Here’s the audition in case you missed it: