She is the 1984 Olympic silver medalist and two-time Pan American Games champion.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Clarke (under the name Judi Brown) won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1983 Pan American Games, narrowly ahead of her team-mate Sharrieffa Barksdale.

In 1984, she won her first US national 400m hurdles title before going on to win the silver medal in the event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing behind Nawal El Moutawakel.

[2][3] She was also a twelve-time Big Ten champion in track and field events during her career.

In 1987, she was selected Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine for her community involvement.