Keturah Orji facts for kids
American triple jumper
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | March 5, 1996 Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Education | Mount Olive High School (2014) University of Georgia |
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| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Triple jump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Keturah Orji (born March 5, 1996) is an American track and field athlete. She is best known for her amazing skills in the triple jump. Keturah has even set new US records in the triple jump more than once!
Contents
Early Life and Early Success
Keturah Orji was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her parents are from Nigeria. She grew up in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey. She finished high school at Mount Olive High School in 2014.
When she was younger, Keturah was a gymnast. She trained at Giant Gymnastics, Inc. in Hackettstown, New Jersey. In 2010, she competed in the New Jersey state championships. She did all four gymnastics events: Vault, Bars, Beam, and Floor. Keturah even dreamed of becoming an Olympic gymnast! She believes that gymnastics helped her become a successful athlete later on.
In high school, Keturah became a star in track and field. She won the 2013-2014 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association girls track and field Gatorade Player of the Year awards. This award goes to top high school athletes. She also won the New Jersey Meet of Champions in triple jump. She set a new state record in triple jump and improved the Morris County record in long jump.
College Career at University of Georgia
Keturah Orji went to the University of Georgia. She competed for the Georgia Bulldogs track and field team. She quickly became one of the best college athletes in the country.
In 2015, she placed second in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She then won the NCAA Outdoor Championships in triple jump. She even set a new American junior record! She was also named the Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Keturah continued her winning streak in 2016. She won both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor triple jump titles. She was recognized as the top outdoor field athlete in the nation. She also won a fan vote for The Bowerman Award. This award is the highest honor for college track and field athletes.
In 2017, Keturah won her fifth SEC title in triple jump. She set new SEC, college, NCAA, and American records! She also won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title again. She was a finalist for The Bowerman Award for the second time.
By 2018, Keturah was unstoppable. She won her seventh SEC title in triple jump. She also won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title. She set a new college record in the triple jump. She continued to dominate, winning both the triple jump and long jump titles at the 2018 SEC Outdoor Championships.
Keturah finished her college career by winning both the triple jump and long jump titles at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She became the first woman to win eight NCAA titles in field events! She finally won The Bowerman Award in 2018. She was the first female athlete to be a finalist for the award three times.
Professional Career Highlights
After college, Keturah Orji became a professional athlete. She continued to break records and compete at the highest level.
In 2016, she set an American record in the triple jump. This happened when she won the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She then represented the 
United States at the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She jumped an amazing 14.71 m (48 ft 3.00885827 in) and placed fourth in the triple jump. This was another American record at the time!
Keturah was recognized for her achievements. She was a finalist for The Bowerman Award again in 2016 and 2017. Her hometown also honored her with a "key to the city."
In 2017, Keturah qualified for the World Championships. However, an injury prevented her from competing. She bounced back in 2018. She set a new American Indoor Record in the triple jump at the Clemson Invitational. She placed fifth in the triple jump at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, UK.
Keturah also placed second in the triple jump at the 2018 Athletics World Cup in London. She won the 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She set a new US Championship record in the triple jump.
International Competitions
Keturah Orji has represented the United States in many major international competitions. Here are some of her top results:
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
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| Representing the United States |
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| 2013 | World Youth Championships | Donetsk, Ukraine | 2nd | Long jump | 6.39 m (20 ft 11.44980315 in) |
| 3rd | Triple jump | 13.69 m (44 ft 10.85137796 in) | |||
| 2014 | World Junior Championships | Eugene, United States | 9th | Triple jump | 13.29 m (43 ft 7.10334646 in) |
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, United States | 4th | Triple jump | 14.14 m (46 ft 4.56791339 in) |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 4th | Triple jump | 14.71 m (48 ft 3.00885827 in) | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 5th | Triple jump | 14.31 m (46 ft 11.26082678 in) |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 7th | Triple jump | 14.46 m (47 ft 5.16633859 in) |
| Pan American Games | Lima, Peru | 2nd | Long jump | 6.66 m (21 ft 10.07972441 in) | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | Triple jump | 14.59 m (47 ft 10.28444882 in) |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 7th | Triple jump | 14.42 m (47 ft 3.59153544 in) |
| World Championships | Eugene, United States | 6th | Triple jump | 14.49 m (47 ft 6.34744095 in) | |
| NACAC Championships | Freeport, Bahamas | 2nd | Triple jump | 14.32 m (46 ft 11.65452756 in) | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 9th | Triple jump | 14.33 m (47 ft 0.04822835 in) |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 4th | Triple jump | 14.36 m (47 ft 1.22933071 in) |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 9th | Triple jump | 14.05 m (46 ft 1.02460630 in) | |
Personal Best Records
These are Keturah Orji's best jumps in her career:
Outdoor
- Long jump – 6.81 m (22 ft 3.98523622 in) (in Knoxville, Tennessee 2018)
- Triple jump – 14.92 m (48 ft 11.27657481 in) (in Chula Vista High Performance 2021) This is the current American Outdoor Record!
Indoor
- Long jump – 6.72 m (22 ft 0.44192914 in) (in Nashville, Tennessee 2017)
- Triple jump – 14.53 m (47 ft 7.92224410 in) (in Clemson, South Carolina 2018) This was a former American Indoor Record.
