Keturah Orji ready to compete against the best at 2016 Olympics

Keturah Orji hasn’t been challenged often in the college ranks of track and field.

Orji, after all, owns both the American and collegiate record (47 feet 8 inches) in the triple jump and is entering her first-ever Olympics as the top representative of her country in this event.

On the Olympic stage, however, she knows that will change. Orji, a junior, knows she’ll be going against athletes who have been triple jumping for a long time professionally.

The competition should push Orji, with the goal being to set a new personal best, which would only add to the American record she already has.

“When you go somewhere else and someone is beating you, there’s more of a push,” Orji said. “Your body responds to that competition, like, ‘OK, you’re getting beat by three people and you’re in fourth, let’s get a medal, let’s go.’ It’s kind of like adrenaline. I don’t know what it is but something pushes you when someone else is actually ahead of you, other than trying to say jump farther even though you’re in the lead.”

Orji’s Olympics begin Saturday when the triple jump qualifying round begins. The goal is to not only reach the final 12 but to be in the top nine, which means she’ll get six jumps and a chance at a medal.

That said, medaling isn’t on the forefront of Orji’s mind with this being her first Olympics. But Orji admitted to being ahead of schedule with her development, which excites her as she continues to improve on a global stage.

“I think it definitely gets me excited for the future because I’m doing so well now,” Orji said. “It shows how much further I can do. Before, in the past, I thought I could do ‘this’ this year, or ‘this’ next year. The fact I’m ahead, it pushes my limits a little bit further.”

Orji’s parents, two sisters and brother were all able to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics, thanks in part to some fundraising on GoFundMe.com. Orji said that the last she knew, at least $11,000 was raised for the trip, which helped cover airfare, lodging and meals.

In Rio de Janeiro, Orji is also accompanied by her college roommate Kendell Williams, who began her Olympics Friday in the heptathlon.

“If I can put out another PR it would be a great way to end the season,” Williams said. “I’m not necessarily focused on a medal since this is my first Olympics and I am one of the younger ones. But if I put it together, anything can happen.”

Eleven track and field athletes at this year’s Olympics have Georgia ties, which includes engaged couple Maicel Uibo (Estonia) and Shaunae Miller (Bahamas).

Uibo, who is participating in the decathlon, said he and Miller, who will compete in the 400-meter race, should be able to watch each other’s events for the most part.

“I love that both of us made the team and will be there,” Uibo said. “We’ll get to watch each other since the competition doesn’t overlap.”

The other former Georgia track athletes at this year’s games are Charles Grethen (Luxembourg), Cejhae Greene (Antigua), Jenn Dahlgren (Argentina), Kibwe Johnson (U.S.), Karl Saluri (Estonia), Levern Spencer (St. Lucia) and Leontia Kallenou (Cyprus).

In total, Georgia has 24 current or former athletes and four coaches at the 2016 Olympics. This included placing eight current or former swimmers on the U.S. Olympic Team, which is the most the Bulldogs have ever done in program history. The 11 track athletes at the Olympics is also a program record.

Early on at this year's games, Chase Kaliz earned the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:06.75, a personal best. He finished second to Japan’s Kosuke Hogino (4:06.05)

“I’m happy with my results,” Kalisz said. “That was all I could do, all I could hope for. I gave all I have. I don’t think I could’ve gone any faster. I’m fine with silver knowing that I gave my best effort.”

Gunnar Bentz made program history by being the first male swimmer to win a gold medal at an Olympics. Bentz was a part of the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay, although he only swam in the preliminary and not the finals. He still earned a medal for his participation with the group.

Allison Schmitt and Melanie Margalis won gold medals on the U.S. 4x200-meter freestyle relay, with Schmitt leading off in the finals race. Margalis swam in a preliminary race with this group, which is why she was awarded a medal. Schmitt was accompanied by Leah Smith, Mya DiRado and Katie Ledecky in the finals race.

“I had no doubt,” Schmitt said. “I had complete faith in these three girls. I was just going out to try my best. … We like to have fun. A happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.”

Ledecky, regarded as the world's best female swimmer, said it was great to swim with Schmitty on the relay.



“It’s fantastic to have Schmitty on the team this year and see her swimming so well,” Ledecky said. “I don’t know, I think we were all swimming for Schmitty.”

Schmitt tied former Georgia Lady Dogs basketball standout Teresa Edwards with four total Olympic gold medals in her career. Schmitt now has a Georgia-best eight total medals (four gold, two silver, two bronze) to her name as well.

Brittany MacLean, who exhausted her collegiate eligibility this past season, picked up a bronze medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay with Canada by swimming the third leg of the finals race.

Schmitt and Amanda Weir were awarded silver medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay for the U.S., with Chantal Van Landeghem  getting a bronze medal with the Canadian team in this same event. The representation of Georgia’s swimming and diving program was a moment of pride for head coach Jack Bauerle, who was picked to serve as a men’s assistant for the U.S. Olympic Team.

“We’ve had some great ones but this was our greatest,” Bauerle said.

Two more former Georgia representatives will be participating at the Paralympics, which begins Sept. 7. Jarryd Wallace, the son of Georgia women's tennis coach Jeff Wallace and former Georgia distance runner Sabrina Horne Wallace, will compete as a distance runner. Lindsay Grogran, who didn't compete as a student-athlete at Georgia but holds two degrees from the university, will compete as a swimmer.

This story was originally published August 12, 2016 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Keturah Orji ready to compete against the best at 2016 Olympics."