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 High School Success
Keturah Orji was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her parents are from Nigeria. She grew up in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey. In 2014, she graduated from Mount Olive High School.
When she was younger, Keturah was a gymnast. She even wanted to become an Olympic gymnast! She believes gymnastics helped her become a great athlete.
In high school, Keturah was a star in track and field. She won the 2013-2014 Gatorade Player of the Year award for girls' track and field in New Jersey. She also set new state records in both the triple jump and long jump.
College Career at Georgia
Keturah went to the University of Georgia. She competed for the Georgia Bulldogs track and field team. She was incredibly successful during her college years.
In 2015, she won the NCAA Outdoor triple jump title. She also set an American junior record that year. Keturah continued to win many championships.
She won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title in 2016. She was named the top outdoor field athlete in the country. Keturah also won the NCAA Outdoor triple jump title again.
In 2017, she set new college and American indoor records in the triple jump. She won her fifth SEC (Southeastern Conference) title. She also won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title for the second time.
Keturah kept winning in 2018. She won her seventh SEC title in the triple jump. She also won the NCAA Indoor triple jump title again. She set a new college record in the triple jump.
By the end of her college career, Keturah Orji became the first woman to win eight NCAA titles in field events. This is a huge achievement! She also won the Bowerman Award, which is the highest honor in college track and field.
Here's a summary of her college achievements:
| Representing University of Georgia | ||||||
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| Year | SEC Indoor | NCAA Indoor | SEC Outdoor | NCAA Outdoor | ||
| 2018 | Triple Jump 1st 14.18 m (46 ft 6.14271654 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.27 m (46 ft 9.68602363 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.62 m (47 ft 11.46555119 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.04 m (46 ft 0.63090552 in) |
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| Long Jump 2nd 6.53 m (21 ft 4.96161418 in) |
Long Jump 2nd 6.52 m (21 ft 4.56791339 in) |
Long Jump 1st 6.81 m (22 ft 3.98523622 in) |
Long Jump 1st 6.67 m (21 ft 10.47342520 in) |
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| 2017 | Triple Jump 1st 14.32 m (46 ft 11.65452756 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.11 m (46 ft 3.38681103 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 13.95 m (45 ft 9.08759843 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.29 m (46 ft 10.47342520 in) |
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| Long Jump 3rd 6.72 m (22 ft 0.44192914 in) |
Long Jump 3rd 6.58 m (21 ft 6.93011811 in) |
Long Jump 5th 6.44 m (21 ft 1.41830709 in) |
Long Jump 2nd 6.71 m (22 ft 0.04822835 in) |
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| 2016 | Triple Jump 1st 14.08 m (46 ft 2.20570867 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.12 m (46 ft 3.78051181 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.60 m (47 ft 10.67814961 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.53 m (47 ft 7.92224410 in) |
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| Long Jump 4th 6.51 m (21 ft 4.17421260 in) |
Long Jump 4th 6.48 m (21 ft 2.99311024 in) |
Long Jump 4th 6.48 m (21 ft 2.99311024 in) |
Long Jump 6th 6.29 m (20 ft 7.51279528 in) |
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| 2015 | Triple Jump 1st 13.72 m (45 ft 0.03248032 in) |
Triple Jump 2nd 13.77 m (45 ft 2.00098426 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.13 m (46 ft 4.17421260 in) |
Triple Jump 1st 14.15 m (46 ft 4.96161418 in) |
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| Long Jump 3rd 6.43 m (21 ft 1.02460630 in) |
Long Jump 13th 6.00 m (19 ft 8.09547244 in) |
Long Jump 3rd 6.61 m (21 ft 8.11122048 in) |
Long Jump 7th 6.57 m (21 ft 6.53641733 in) |
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Professional Journey and Olympic Dreams
After college, Keturah continued her amazing career as a professional athlete. She set an American junior record in the triple jump in 2015.
In 2016, she competed at the World Indoor Championships. She finished in fourth place. Keturah also set a new American record in the triple jump that year.
Keturah represented the USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She jumped a new American record and placed fourth in the triple jump! This was a fantastic achievement.
In 2018, Keturah broke her own American Indoor Record in the triple jump. She also placed fifth at the World Indoor Championships. Later that year, she won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She set a new US Championship record in the triple jump.
International Achievements
Keturah Orji has competed for the United States in many big international events:
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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) | |
Best Jumps
Here are Keturah Orji's personal bests in long jump and triple jump:
Outdoor
- Long jump – 6.81 m (22 ft 3.98523622 in) (+1.0 m/s, Knoxville, Tennessee 2018)
- Triple jump – 14.92 m (48 ft 11.27657481 in) (+1 m/s, Chula Vista High Performance 2021) American Outdoor Record
Indoor
- Long jump – 6.72 m (22 ft 0.44192914 in) (Nashville, Tennessee 2017)
- Triple jump – 14.53 m (47 ft 7.92224410 in) (Clemson, South Carolina 2018) former American Indoor Record
