Bowerman Award winner pursuing record fourth consecutive women’s triple jump national championship, along with potential historic sweep of long jump and triple jump titles in Des Moines 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Keturah Orji is already the best combination female horizontal jumper in American history.

Now, the Georgia graduate, Bowerman Award winner and reigning NCAA Woman of the Year has an opportunity to possibly add two more memorable achievements to her impressive resume at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships.

Orji, representing Atlanta Track Club, could become the first individual to win four consecutive women’s triple jump titles Thursday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. She enters the meet tied with Shani Marks (2006-08) with a record three in a row.

Orji, 23, also has the potential to become the first female athlete to win both the long jump and triple jump crowns, not only in the same year, but at any point since the women’s triple jump was added to the U.S. Championship schedule in 1985.

“(Georgia coach Petros Kyprianou) and I decided to do both because I have been jumping much better in the long jump this year and have been very consistent. Also, the long jump is after triple jump, so I won’t be jeopardizing my better event, just going out to compete and seeing how well I can do,” said Orji, who last competed in the long jump at a USATF Outdoor Championship at the U-20 final in 2014 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

“Both being able to complete the double and/or win the triple jump for a fourth time would be amazing milestones for me.”

Orji won a combined eight NCAA Division 1 triple jump and long jump titles during her career at Georgia. She swept both championships at last year’s outdoor final in Eugene, becoming the third collegiate female athlete to achieve the double, joining Cal’s Sheila Hudson in 1990 and Florida State’s Kim Williams in 2009.

The last American male athlete to secure both the long jump and triple jump crowns in the same year was Gay Bryan in 1949. Since then, Mike Conley and Melvin Lister have won both championships, but captured the titles in separate years.

“I think making history like that speaks to my consistency and would be evidence of all my hard work and dedication to the sport,” Orji said. “I also hope it would encourage young female athletes, especially triple jumpers, to devote time to long jump, too, and just be able to believe that they can do both because we are often labeled as one or the other.”

Orji enters the triple jump final with a personal-best 48-3.25 (14.71m) from the 2016 Olympics, which was the American record until last year, when Tori Franklin produced a mark of 48-8.25 (14.84m) at a meet in France.

Orji’s outdoor season-best 48-1.25 (14.66m) ranks her No. 5 in the world this year, with no other American among the top 50 performers. She also set a meet record Feb. 24 with a mark of 47-9 (14.55m) to win her first USATF Indoor title in New York.

Despite finishing ninth July 11 at the Monaco Diamond League with a 46-7.25 (14.20m) effort, Orji’s confidence hasn’t wavered in pursuit of moving into second place all-time behind Hudson, a seven-time triple jump national champion.

“I don’t have any concerns going into the meet despite my performance in Monaco because I understand that in that situation my body was trying to adjust to the bouncier runway and I wasn't successful with it,” Orji said. “I really wish I could have responded and competed better but sometimes you have those meets and I just have to learn from it.”

Orji is equal to the No. 15 performer in the world this year in the long jump – third among Americans – with a May 18 leap of 22-3.75 (6.80m) in France, just off her personal-best 22-4.25 (6.81m) from last year’s Southeastern Conference Championships.

Only seven-time national outdoor long jump champion, eight-time World Championship medalist and two-time Olympic medalist Brittney Reese at 22-9.75 (6.95m) and former Kentucky All-American Kenyattia Hackworth at 22-8.50 (6.92m) have better wind-legal jumps this year entering Saturday’s final among American competitors than Orji.

“Practice has been going well,” Orji said. “So I’m excited to see what I can jump in both events.”