Nigeria’s athletics team may have found a major new force in the throwing circle, and her first appearance has already justified the excitement around her name.
Jessica Oji made her debut for Nigeria at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, delivering a strong performance in the women’s shot put to finish second with a best throw of 17.74 metres. The competition marked her first outing under the Nigerian flag following her recent switch of sporting allegiance from the United States.
Still only 18, Jessica’s performance carried added significance beyond the podium finish as her throw established a new Nigerian U20 record, underlining both her youth and her growing status as one of the most promising shot put talents in the world. After opening her series with a foul, she settled quickly, producing her best mark on her third attempt in a field that included top collegiate throwers.
Jessica competes as a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has already built an imposing résumé. A former USA U20 shot put champion, she has seamlessly transitioned into collegiate athletics, breaking the all-time Ivy League record four times in a single meet earlier this season. Her personal best of 18.45 metres not only tops the Ivy League record books but also places her second overall in the NCAA rankings.
That mark carries continental weight as well as Jessica’s personal best stands two centimetres beyond the long-standing African record of 18.43 metres set by Nigeria’s Vivian Chukwuemeka, a distance that situates her within touching range of African athletics history. She is also the current U20 world leader by a clear margin, highlighting her dominance at age-group level.
Shot put itself is among athletics’ oldest field events, blending explosive power with refined technique and while Nigeria is more widely known for sprinting excellence, the country has a proud, if quieter, tradition in the throws, one that Jessica now appears poised to extend.
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