EUGENE – Stars past and present from the University of Oregon track and field program are continuing to make their mark at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Women’s Shot Put – Jada Ross to compete in the Olympics:
A historic season just got even more memorable for Oregon’s Jada Ross, who will represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ross earned a spot on the U.S. team on Saturday after taking third place in the women’s shot put final with a throw of 19.60 meters.
The 22-year-old ended her collegiate career with a bang, breaking the collegiate record in the women’s shot put not once but twice in 2024. Her final throw of 20.01 meters broke the collegiate record and cemented her status as one of the top throwers in the country.
Ross will now get the chance to compete against the best athletes in the world for a chance to bring home a gold medal for the U.S. team.
Women’s 200 meters:
Despite strong performances in the semifinals, Mays and Prandini’s Olympic dreams ended on Saturday as neither player qualified for the Olympic team.
Mays finished the final in eighth place with a time of 22.60 seconds, just ahead of Prandini in seventh place with a time of 22.58 seconds.
In a fiercely contested women’s 200m semi-final, two former Ducks athletes secured spots in the final.
Recent graduate and three-time outdoor All-American Jaidyn Mays bounced back after missing the 100-meter final. The Arizona native placed third in the preliminaries with a strong time of 22.33 seconds.
“It’s a really big thing for me,” Mays said. “Obviously, this is my senior year and I’m wrapping up my collegiate career and moving on, so to be able to compete in this final was really special. I was hoping to be able to compete in at least one of these events after missing out on one, and like I said before, the second one is my favorite, so it’s going to be fun to run it at the end on my own track.”
Finishing ahead of Mays was former Oregon track and field athlete Jenna Prandini, a two-time All-American and Olympic medalist who qualified second in the heats with a time of 22.26 seconds, behind current 100-meter world champion Sha’Carey Richardson, who finished in 21.92 seconds.
“I feel like everything is going well,” Prandini said. “I have good feet and I’m happy to get it done today.”
The 2024 Olympic women’s 200m team will consist of Gabby Thomas (21.81), Brittany Brown (21.90) and Mackenzie Long (21.91).
Men’s 200 meters:
Oregon’s success wasn’t limited to the women’s team, as Oregon’s Kylie King also made an impressive showing in the 200m semifinals, qualifying for the finals with a time of 20.25 seconds. King placed second in the heats and seventh overall.
In Saturday’s final, King completed the race in 19.90 seconds, a personal best but not enough to make the U.S. team.
The 2024 Olympic men’s 200m team will consist of Noah Lyles (19.53), Kenny Bednarek (19.59) and Elyon Knighton (19.77).
Oregon track and field athlete Jada Ross will compete in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. While not all Oregon athletes qualified for the Olympics, the preliminaries showcased the depth and excellence of Oregon’s track and field program.
“Oregon has a great team chemistry,” Ross said. “We just cheer for each other. If we see somebody with an ‘O’ in their hand, we say, ‘Good luck.’ We cheer them on.”
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