Keturah Orji recently became the first American woman to compete in two Olympic triple jump finals, placing seventh in the event with a hop, skip and a jump of 14.59m (47' 10 1/2"). Orji finished fourth during the 2016 Rio games and had hoped to make it to the podium in Tokyo after reclaiming the national record back in April with a jump of 14.92m (48' 11 ½"). Still, at 25 years old, Orji has plenty of time to add to her long list of achievements, which includes winning five NCAA National Championship titles while at UGA, the 2018 Bowerman Award and two World Indoor Championships top 10 finishes.
"I’m definitely grateful to have made another Olympic final because it exemplifies how I have remained a top competitor for years, but I also wanted to perform better," said Orji. "This triple jump final was one of the most competitive ever and I wish I could have at least placed top five and been in contention for a medal. I’m looking forward to getting back to training and hopefully correcting things so that I can get back above the 14.70m distance."
Yulimar Rojas became Venezuela's first female gold medalist while winning the triple jump with 15.67m (51' 5"), which shattered the 1995 record of 15.50m (50' 10¼") set by Inessa Kravets of Ukraine. Patricia Mamona, who competed at Clemson University, set the Portugese national record while earning silver with 15.01m ( 49' 3"). Ana Peleteiro also set a national record for Spain as she took bronze with 14.87m ( 48' 9½").
