Who is Jaida Ross? All about the American shot putter aiming for first gold medal at the Paris Olympics

Jaida Ross has made it to the finals of the women's shot put at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 22-year-old shot putter from Oregon managed to throw a respectable mark of 18.58m to qualify for the finals after only three athletes managed to throw beyond the qualification mark of at least 19m in the event.

Similarly, Raven Saunders from the USA, who was the silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, managed to throw a best distance of 18.62m, placing her seventh overall. Sarah Mitton of Canada, who had won the silver medal in the event at the 2023 World Championships, topped the qualifications by throwing 19.77m in her first attempt.

However, it is Ross who is expected to surprise many with her performance at the finals of the women's shot put event tonight, which will be held at Stade de France in the nation's capital. She is one of the few American female shot putters who have managed to throw beyond the coveted mark of 20m in their professional outings.

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Jaida Ross' early life

Jaida Ross was born on 29 October, 2001 in Medford, Oregon. Not much is known about her family, except that her mother Amanda Krug has been a pillar of support as Ross vies to achieve her athletic dreams.

Ross attended school at North Medford High School before enrolling at the University of Oregon for her higher studies.

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Jaida Ross' childhood dream of competing at the Olympics

Few are aware of the fact that Jaida Ross aimed to compete at the Olympics since childhood, almost along the lines of gymnast Hezly Rivera's early Olympic aspirations.

Jaida Ross of USA in action at 2024 NCAA Championships [Image Source: Getty]

In a letter dated 6 September, 2016, Ross wrote to herself [via Pieter Voskes]:

"Dear Senior Jaida, Advice of a starting freshman: If you don't like something, then don't do it. If you love something, then do it. Keep life simple. Don't overcomplicate. Be you. Do things that you love. Just be a good kid."

Though the letter doesn't directly indicate anything about the Olympics, Pieter Voskes, head coach at North Medford high school, and Ross' mother Amanda Krug have confirmed her enthusiasm. Krug mentioned [via The Register Guard]:

"Jaida has been signing her signature since like seventh grade. We've said [to Ross and her sister], 'You guys are going to the Olympics.' We just didn't know that it was gonna be for shot put. We didn't know that it would be for (that) because they were both multisport girls."

Ross has been competing for the University of Oregon since 2022. However, it was this year that Ross became an overnight sensation.

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Jaida Ross' performances in the runup to the Paris Olympics

In May 2024, during the NCAA Track and Field Regional West tournament, Jaida Ross threw the shot to 20.01m, her personal best and a new collegiate record as well. She became the first collegiate female athlete in USA to do so, and only the seventh woman in the history of the USA to surpass the 20m mark in professional women's shot put.

Jaida Ross after making the cut for Paris Olympics at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2024 [Image Source : Getty]

A month later at the NCAA Championships, Ross followed up with a gold medal after a decent throw of 19.57m. Moreover, soon after at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials, she bettered the mark by throwing the shot to 19.6m and ranking third overall to make the cut for the Paris Olympics.

Ross will now be aiming for an impressive podium finish in the women's shot put finals, which will be held tonight at Stade de France, the main venue for this year's Games.