Oregon shot putter Jaida Ross set an earth-shattering record of 20.01 meters at the NCAA track and field regionals last May. This made her the first collegiate female athlete to break the 20-meter mark and one of only seven women in American history to reach this milestone.
“I felt good that day, very explosive that day,” Ross recalled.
Now, she is set to represent the United States on Thursday in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Here are five facts about this amazing athlete.
She wants to throw a personal best at the Olympics
Ross is looking to set a personal best throw at the games. She states that she wants to make a “big throw” and advance to the finals.
She’s gotten global gold
The University of Oregon standout won gold with an 18.35-meter throw at the 2023 U23 North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Championship.
She wasn’t always a thrower
Ross played soccer throughout her childhood and added basketball as a second sport in middle school. Her former basketball coach, Pieter Voskes, suggested that she try the shot put. Eventually, she fell in love with the sport. “It felt good to just be in a sport that, you know, my body is made for and has a talent for,” Ross said in an interview.
She has a super strong support system
A group of her friends and family will be rooting for Ross at a watch party in her hometown of Medford, Oregon, where she was the state champion at North Medford High School.
She’s inspired by shot putter Michelle Carter
Ross says she looks up to Olympian Michelle Carter, who won a gold medal in the shot put event at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.