Orji back in rarefied air

Competing in her first triple jump competition since the Olympics, Georgia junior wastes little time elevating to world indoor leader at Texas A&M Aggie Invitational

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Keturah Orji waited until her second indoor meet to begin pursuit of back-to-back NCAA Division 1 triple jump titles, but it didn’t take the Georgia junior long to soar to the top of the world rankings.

Orji won the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational with a fourth-round leap of 45 feet, 9.25 inches (13.95m) at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station. She had two additional jumps of better than 45 feet.

Orji, who set the meet record, surpassed France’s Jeanine Assani Issouf for the world indoor lead. Issouf had a Jan. 3 effort of 45-7.75 (13.91m) in her season opener.

No other collegiate jumper this year is within 18 inches of Orji’s mark.

Orji’s indoor personal best in the triple jump remains 46-4.5 (14.14m) from last year’s IAAF World Indoor Championships in March in Portland, making her the No. 5 performer in collegiate history. She won her first NCAA indoor title last season with a leap of 46-4 (14.12m).

Jamaican Suzette Lee, a three-time NCAA triple jump champion at LSU, still holds the college indoor record of 46-9 (14.25m) from 1997. Sheila Hudson set the American indoor record of 46-8.25 (14.23m) in 1995.

Orji, 20, placed fourth in her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro with an American outdoor record 48-3.25 (14.71m), her last triple jump competition before Saturday.