World Athletics U20 Championships: World Leader Jessica Oji Opens Bid for Nigeria’s First Women’s Shot Put Gold
Nigeria’s Jessica Oji will begin her quest for a historic gold medal on Thursday when she competes in the women’s Shot Put qualification at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, USA.
The 19-year-old enters the competition as the overwhelming favourite after arriving in Oregon with the world-leading mark of 18.50m, achieved indoors in New York earlier this year.
Oji has been drawn in Group A and will throw last in the qualification round, where athletes must achieve the automatic qualifying standard of 16.00m or finish among the 12 best performers overall to advance to the final.
Oji’s season-best places her comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Ecuador’s Belsy Jenniffer Quiñonez has the next best mark in Group A with 17.75m, while Jamaica’s Able Deborah Mills (15.88m) and India’s Anshu (15.99m) are among the other leading contenders.
In Group B, American Jaslene Massey (16.88m), Germany’s Emily Scherf (16.98m) and Greece’s Maria Rafailidou (16.80m) are expected to challenge for places in the final.
The Nigerian arrives in Oregon carrying the weight of expectation after establishing herself as the world’s top junior shot putter this season.
Her 18.50m throw is not only the best performance by any U20 athlete in 2026 but also puts her within striking distance of the championship record of 18.76m set by China’s Cheng Xiaoyan in 1994.
Should Oji progress as expected, she will move one step closer to making history by becoming the first Nigerian to win the women’s shot put title at the World Athletics U20 Championships, adding another landmark achievement to what has already been a breakthrough season.
