“The Stars Aligned” 63-Year-Old Joetta Clark Diggs Shares Her Journey of Family, Health, and Community After Breaking Multiple Running Records
Twenty-five years after retiring from the Olympics, Joetta stepped back in the game for the first time with explosive power, breaking an American Record at 63 years old.
Joetta has been running again for the past few months for the USATF Masters, making incredible strides and breaking records after stepping away from the Olympics 25 years ago.
On July 19, she ran and won her race at Alabama A&M, following her breaking two American records in New Jersey and Florida. In June, at Peddle High School in New Jersey, Joetta won her race with a record time of 13.44 seconds in the 100-meter dash in the 60-64 age category.
At the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Gainesville, Florida, in February, she clocked in at 28.62 seconds over 200m, breaking the American Record for her age group.
Joetta is a 4-time Olympian who has led an impressive career that her daughter, Talitha Diggs, proudly follows in her own life.
Talitha Diggs is a graduate from the University of Florida, where she was a student athlete and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Talitha, along with the rest of Joetta’s family, is a huge inspiration for her decision to step back onto the track at her age.
“The Stars all aligned,” Joetta said, “The Masters championship was in Gainesville, Florida. And Talitha is a graduate of the University of Florida. My brother also coached there many years ago. My sister is a graduate from the University of Florida as well, and then my father was in Gainesville, Florida, so the stars all aligned.” She continued.
Another inspiration Joetta attributes her running to is her life of service.
“I’ve always lived a life of service and helping others,” she said. “At this phase in my life, how can I help others reach their potential?” She continued.
Joetta finds the importance of living a life in helping others in ways that will gradually affect their spirit positively, whether it is for small steps in life, or making huge strides, like getting back into fitness.
“We have a company called Jotyme Fitness where we focus on fitness for all,” Joetta said. Joetta’s company was also a significant milestone in her journey to the competition.
On her company’s Facebook page, she discusses the importance of a healthy lifestyle, healthy habits for individuals in her age range, and volunteer work in the Lehigh Community and beyond.
Joetta has been a resident of the Lehigh Valley for 14 years and has been an integral part of the Valley’s culture. Whether it is Musikfest, volunteering at community schools, and backing businesses from the Valley, she reaches out as it is an important and cherished part of her life.
She also mentions her career as an Olympian as her motivation for her actions in her life: “Success is something that you have to be able to define.” She said, looking back on her career, “Not everyone can be the look of a champion, but you can be the champion of your life,” she continued. “For me, it was making an Olympic team to get the gold medal in the Olympic Games, but I didn’t get that. I got the gold medal of life,” she said.
