Think about stepping away from competitors for 25 years–solely to win in your first race again. 4-time Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs, mom {of professional} Adidas sprinter and world champion Talitha Diggs, made a exceptional comeback on the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Gainesville, Fla., over the weekend, racing for the primary time in 1 / 4 of a century. The 62-year-old clocked 28.62s over 200m, smashing the American document for the 60-64 age class.
FIRST RACE IN 25 YEARS 🥹🙌
4x Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs 🇺🇸 laced up her spikes for the primary time in over twenty years on the USATF Masters Indoor Championships this previous weekend, clocking a 200m American document of 28.62s within the 60-64 age class!!!
Her daughter Talitha was… pic.twitter.com/KgMmVL9Ou9
— Owen (@_OwenM_) February 24, 2025
Clark Diggs claimed the nationwide title by a 0.16-second margin; the silver and bronze medallists additionally snuck underneath the previous document of 28.88 seconds. The previous 800m runner, beforehand referred to as Joetta Clark, hadn’t competed for the reason that Sydney Olympic Video games in 2000, the place she was named captain of the U.S. Olympic Observe & Discipline workforce.
Diggs ran to embrace her mom after the efficiency, and later shared a heartfelt put up on Instagram. “My mother is wonderful and is your new 200m American Masters Document Holder,” she wrote. “She ran 28.62 within the 200m at 62 years previous, and this was her first race in 25 years. Plus, this was my first time watching her compete–and it was unimaginable. I’m so so so so pleased with my momma Jo.” The 22-year-old is a two-time 400m NCAA champion for the College of Florida and earned gold on the 2022 World Championships in Oregon within the 4x400m relay.
An unimaginable profession
The 800m specialist, a two-time world indoor championships bronze medallist, boasts a private better of 1:57.84, and achieved her highest Olympic end on the 1992 Video games in Barcelona, the place she positioned seventh. Greatness clearly runs within the household; at her last Video games, Clark Diggs competed alongside her sister Hazel Clark and sister-in-law Jearl Miles-Clark, who as soon as held the American document of 1:56.40. Clark Diggs retired from competitors at 37.