Less than two months from the United State Olympic Trials, American athletes everywhere are posting strong performances and great marks. In the latest edition, Keturah Orji of the Atlanta Track Club set the American Record in the triple jump for the second time in her career. The 48′-11.5″ hop, skip, and jump is also good enough for the world lead this season.
The first time Orji was able to set the American Record, she did so while competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She would go on to finish fourth overall. She has been on a tear this season, setting a lifetime best in the long jump earlier in April, with an 11′-5.75″ leap. She is in her first year of training with Coach Jeremy Fischer.
Watch the jump here:
Keturah Orji reclaimed the US Triple Jump Record today jumping 14.92m (48’11.4”) @Keturahorji is currently 2021 world leader! @njmilesplit @MOHSMarauders @ATLtrackclub @MizunoRunUSA @dailyrecordspts @MorrSussSports @HSSportsNJ @UGATrack @CoachZiyad @ZywickiR #marauderforlife pic.twitter.com/jCYJT2ul1I
— Mount Olive XC and Track & Field (@MtOliveXCandTF) April 25, 2021
Still early in her career, the 25-year-old Orji was just coming out of her sophomore year of college at Georgia when she first competed in the Olympics. Now, five years later, she is still reaching new distances. On the all-time list for the United States, Orji owns six of the top-10 jumps ever by an American.
Tori Franklin, who had set the American Record two times since Orji set it in 2016, will be a fierce competitor for the new record holder. The two of them will hopefully push each other into podium contention in Tokyo this summer. For now, the two women are focused on getting ready for the Trials, then they will worry about the Olympics.
Will the two of them try to improve on the already impressive record? It depends, but for Orji, she is confident with her new coach and her performance. She will look to focus on her first jump, which is what earned her that first record and fourth at the Olympics and her American Record this past weekend.
She had this to say to Track and Field News about her first-year coach and their approach to her jumps:
“So I told him, ‘I do not want to foul my first jump,’ because honestly, my first jump is usually one of my best jumps.”
So if you’re watching the trials this June, make sure to check out Orji’s first jump, it just might be a new American Record.
