Teen star Oji breaks African shot put record News

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Teen star Oji breaks African shot put record

By Daily Sports Nigeria on March 3, 2026

Jessica Oji rewrote African athletics history with a commanding 18.50m throw to win gold at the Ivy League Indoor Championships, setting new continental records in the women’s shot put, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Competing in only her third outing under the Nigerian flag, Oji delivered a first-round mark of 18.50m (60ft 8.50in) to win gold and set a new African and Nigerian record.

The distance eclipsed the 18.48m achieved a day earlier by South Africa’s Mine de Klerk, who had surpassed the longstanding continental mark previously held by Vivian Chukwuemeka.

Oji’s performance not only rewrote the African record books but also established a new all-time Ivy League record.

She was subsequently named the women’s Most Outstanding Field Performer of the championships, which underlines her dominance on the day.

The University of Pennsylvania freshman recorded four clean attempts in a composed series, with her opening throw proving decisive.

Cameroon’s Angeludi Asaah finished second with 16.14m (52ft 11.50in), more than two metres behind Oji’s winning effort.

The feat caps a remarkable few weeks for the teenager, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise since switching allegiance from the United States to Nigeria in early February under World Athletics’ eligibility regulations.

Having represented the United States until February 2, 2026, she became eligible to compete for Nigeria the following day.

Her transition has already yielded historic returns. Two weeks ago, at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, Oji set a new Nigerian Under-20 record on her debut for the country, throwing 17.74m to finish second overall.

That mark confirmed her as Nigeria’s national youth record holder and signalled her readiness to challenge senior standards.

Even before her transfer of allegiance was completed, Oji had demonstrated record-breaking potential.

In January, she produced an 18.45m throw in collegiate competition, setting a new Ivy League record and moving to second on the NCAA rankings.

That distance stood two centimetres beyond Chukwuemeka’s African record of 18.43m, though it was achieved prior to her eligibility to represent Nigeria and could not formally be recognised as a continental mark.

Now eligible, Oji has emphatically cleared the barrier. Her 18.50m throw not only restores the African record to Nigerian hands but also places her among the leading collegiate shot putters in the United States this season.

Oji was crowned USA U-20 shot put champion in 2025 before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has swiftly emerged as one of the Ivy League’s standout athletes.

Her rapid progression from youth champion to African record holder within a year marks her out as one of the continent’s most promising field talents.

At just 18, and still in her first year of collegiate competition, Oji’s ceiling appears far from reached.

Source Punch Ng

Posted March 3, 2026