Following nine-month break from event, Orji soars to 48-11.50 (14.92m) on opening attempt at competition at Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, surpassing 2018 mark of 48-8.25 (14.84m) achieved by Franklin in France

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Keturah Orji hadn’t competed in the triple jump in exactly nine months, but it didn’t take long for the Atlanta Track Club Elite standout to return to an exceptional level Sunday at the second Chula Vista High Performance meet at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California.

Orji, representing Mizuno, regained her American record with a wind-legal effort of 48-11.50 (14.92m) on her first attempt. The record is pending ratification, but the performance would surpass the 48-8.25 (14.84m) achieved in 2018 by Tori Franklin.

Orji, an eight-time NCAA Division 1 champion at Georgia along with the Bowerman Award winner and NCAA Woman of the Year, added wind-aided marks of 48-4.25 (14.74m) and 47-9.25 (14.56m) during her series.

Orji’s effort makes her the No. 31 all-time outdoor global competitor. Only 24 female athletes have ever reached the 15-meter mark outdoors, or 49-2.50, in the history of the event.

Orji had held the American record for nearly two years with her 48-3.25 (14.71m) performance from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she placed fourth.

Her performance Sunday surpassed the mark of Franklin, less than one month shy of the three-year anniversary of the Michigan State graduate producing her lifetime-best effort in France.

Orji opened her outdoor season April 3 by winning the long jump competition at the first Chula Vista High Performance meet at the Training Center with a wind-legal leap of 22-5.75 (6.85m).

At her final outdoor meet last year in July at an American Track League series competition at Life University in Marietta, Ga., Orji long jumped 21-11 (6.68m) and triple jumped 46-4.75 (14.14m).

Chantel Malone, representing the British Virgin Islands, won the long jump competition with a wind-aided effort of 23-3.50 (7.10m), the No. 2 all-conditions performance in the world this year, trailing only the 23-5.25 (7.14m) mark achieved March 26 by American Tara Davis at the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Malone also achieved a wind-legal mark of 23-1.50 (7.05m), with American Brittney Reese also jumping that exact distance with a wind-aided performance. British athlete Jazmin Sawyers and American competitor Jasmine Todd both had wind-aided efforts of 22-4.50 (6.82m).

Chris Benard won the men’s triple jump with a wind-legal performance of 56-3.25 (17.15m).

Corey Crawford won the men’s long jump with a wind-aided mark of 26-5 (8.05m), with Marquise Goodwin, who recently signed a one-year NFL contract with the Chicago Bears, placing second with a wind-aided leap of 25-11 (7.90m).

Katerina Stefanidi cleared 15-1 (4.60m) on her first attempt in the women’s elite pole vault, before missing three opportunities at 15-5.50 (4.71m).

Minsub Jin of Korea, German Chiaraviglio of Argentina and American Kyle Pater all cleared 18-4.50 (5.60m) in the men’s elite pole vault.

Sanghyeok Woo of Korea, American Tyler Arroyo and Canadian Django Lovett all cleared 7-5 (2.26m) in the men’s high jump.