{"id":147340,"date":"2026-01-28T21:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T02:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147340"},"modified":"2026-01-28T21:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T02:06:20","slug":"joetta-breaks-american-record-in-200m-at-usatf-new-york-open-at-ocean-breeze-4-time-olympian-resets-her-own-american-200m-record-with-a-28-17-finish-at-age-63","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147340","title":{"rendered":"Joetta Breaks American Record in 200m at USATF New York Open at Ocean Breeze 4-Time Olympian Resets Her Own American 200m Record With a 28.17 Finish at Age 63"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa., January 28, 2026 <\/strong>\u2013 Track-and-field legend Joetta, a four-time Olympian and American Masters record-holder, delivered a historic performance at the USATF New York Open & Masters Championships at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York. Competing in the indoor 200m for the women\u2019s 60\u201364 division, Joetta clocked a blistering 28.17, resetting the American Record for women ages 60\u201364, a record she already owned with 28.64.<\/p>\n

At 63 years young, Joetta\u2019s performance is the latest milestone in a career defined by longevity, discipline, and relentless commitment to fitness. After announcing her return to competition following a 25-year retirement, Clark ran the 60m earlier in the meet (6.7) as a warm-up before producing the record-setting 200m.<\/p>\n

\u201cFitness is lifestyle. I am able to come back after a 25-year retirement to rejoin the masters circuit because I maintained my health in ways that allow me to compete at a national level. If you tend to yourself physically and mentally, you can be the champion of your life,\u201d Joetta shared. \u201cI don\u2019t take a single stride for granted. This is about purpose, faith, and staying committed to the process. I\u2019m grateful for the gift of being able to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

The performance drew excitement across the Masters community, drawing attendees from across the US including student athletes from Florida where her daughter, USA World Champion sprinter Talitha Diggs competed before joining the professional track and field track.<\/p>\n

Joetta\u2019s next competition will take place at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships February 19-22, 2026, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Beyond competition, Joetta remains a nationally recognized motivational speaker, author, and president of Joetta Sports & Beyond, where she leads professionals and wellness and youth development programs including JoTyme Fitness\u2122<\/em>, Head 2 Toe\u00ae Fitness<\/em>, and the D2RYD Track &\u00a0<\/em>Field Camp<\/em>. Her influence extends across sports, education, mental health and community empowerment. She continues to inspire business leaders, families, athletes, and communities nationwide.<\/p>\n

A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Joetta is also the daughter of the late education icon Dr. Joe L. Clark, portrayed by Morgan Freeman in Lean on Me <\/em>and the mother of world champion sprinter Talitha Diggs, representing a powerful multigenerational legacy of achievement and service.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\n–ts Brand Elevation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa., January 28, 2026 \u2013 Track-and-field legend Joetta, a four-time Olympian and American Masters record-holder, delivered a historic performance at the USATF New York Open & Masters Championships at … Continue reading Joetta Breaks American Record in 200m at USATF New York Open at Ocean Breeze 4-Time Olympian Resets Her Own American 200m Record With a 28.17 Finish at Age 63<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/joetta-2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}