‘Icing on the cake’: Olympians compete at USATF Masters Indoor Championships in ABQ

Track records were broken and personal goals were achieved during Sunday's finale at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque.

Entering the day, four-time Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs, 63, aimed to break the 200-meter record for her age group of 28.15 seconds that she set at last year's event.

At about 11:30 a.m., Clark Diggs and other women in her age bracket – between 60 and 64 – lined up on the track inside the Albuquerque Convention Center. Their eyes focused on the task ahead of them as they received their commands.

"On your marks ... Get set ..."

When the starting gun went off, the ladies began running. Less than half a minute later, 27.15 seconds to be exact, Clark Diggs won first place and broke her own record.

"My performance was good today, and I was happy to win,” Clark Diggs said after the race. “And then the icing on the cake was setting a new American record.”

Diggs, who competed in the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics, was among the hundreds of track athletes, aged 25 to 97, who came from across the country to compete at the 4-day event that ended on Sunday.

“I think I’m more inspired, inspired by the older ones because they’re running, jumping and throwing," she said. "The most important thing is that you put the work in and get out there and compete (at) your level.”

Among the other six Olympians to compete was 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, Garth Robinson, 55, who won the 60-meter race and placed third in the 200-meter competition.

Robinson said he was retired, playing soccer a few years ago when COVID hit and he began to get back into running.

“Because the league shut down, I wanted something to do,” he said. “Then I ran in my local state Masters meet. Then from there, I met some people who were competing at nationals and I got the idea (to give it a try).”

A few years older than Robinson is three-time Olympian, 60-year-old Michelle Rohl,  who participated in the Masters Indoor Championships with her team, Greater Philadelphia TC. Rohl placed in multiple events including first in the 3K run on Thursday and 800-meter run on Sunday.

"Well, I knew I wasn't going to be able to set any records because (of the) altitude, but I wanted to come and score points for my team," she said.

One of Rohl's teammates was her husband, Michael Rohl, who previously competed in three Olympic Trials and supported his wife during the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

"It's actually more enjoyable to watch her now because in the Olympic Games there is a lot of pressure," he said. "It was wonderful to watch, but there were high expectations. There were certain things I had to do. I couldn't screw them up."

Albuquerque resident and event participant Lisa Valle, 59, said seeing the Olympians participate "really sets a tone for us."

"It inspires us to keep going," she said.

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.