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≡ “WHY I RETIRED AT 28″ ≡
The American record holder in the women’s triple jump, Keturah Orji, is only 28. But she’s retired and explained why in a poignant and informative blog post on her Web site on Monday.
In a lengthy review of her decision, she introduced it noting:
“[B]before I dive into all my reasons, do know that prayer played a huge role in helping me make my final decision about retirement. This blog focuses on the other factors that influenced the decision.”
She then cited six specific aspects that contributed:
● 1. “Underperforming”
● 2. “Distance From My Husband”
● 3. “My Loves for the Sport Disappeared”
● 4. “Body Pains”
● 5. “Acceptance of Untapped Potential”
● 6. “Undervalued”
Orji was a prodigy at the University of Georgia, winning NCAA indoor titles in 2016-17-18 and outdoor titles in 2015-16-17-18 and the long jump title in 2018 as well; that’s eight in all.
She won 10 U.S. national titles, indoors in 2019-22-23-24 and outdoors in 2016-17-18-19-21-22, making the U.S. Olympic team in 2016-21-24 and finishing fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, while still a collegian. She made three World Championship and four World Indoor Championship teams and won a Pan American Games silver in the long jump in 2019, her only major senior-level international medal. She set the American Record in the TJ three times: twice in 2016 and again in 2021.
Now she’s done. Most of all, she wrote, was because of declining results:
“This is the biggest reason. I’m a numbers person, and I believe numbers don’t lie. …
“The trend spoke for itself – there was a steep drop after 2022. What frustrated me the most was people telling me how I should feel about my performances. While I appreciated their intentions, no one knows my marks better than I do. I knew what I was capable of and being asked to feel content with not improving didn’t sit right with me.”
She continued, explaining how the decline in performance – her best, the American Record of 14.91 m (48-11), came in 2021 – made other issues stand out even more:
● “Since 2020, I’ve moved from Georgia to Florida, to California, back to Georgia, and then to Maryland, all in pursuit of finding a coach to help me accomplish my goals. For context, my husband and I bought a house together in 2020, but I spent more time away than home. IF and only IF I were seeing improvement, I might have continued, but sacrificing time with my husband while underperforming became a non-option.”
● “I always found it funny when I was at competitions and coaches would tell me ‘just go out there and have ‘fun’‘ because in all honesty triple jump/long jump was never something I would describe as fun, in the traditional sense.
“Winning was fun. Training with teammates was fun. Traveling and seeing friends at competitions was fun. But when those things faded – no teammates, no close friends at meets, fewer wins – the sport lost its joy. What I actually enjoyed were the opportunities it gave me to challenge myself, progress, and accomplish great things alongside other people. There is a quote I love: ‘Q: What’s more important: the journey or the destination? A: The company!’ By the end of my career, I often found myself asking, ‘Why am I here?’”
● She also noted the tremendous physical impact of triple jumping and the injuries, adding “I think y’all are seeing my consistent point now… If I were improving, I might have endured the pain, but with no significant progress, it didn’t make sense to keep pushing my body past its limits.”
● “I didn’t start triple jumping for recognition or money, but I am very aware that when you receive those, it helps cushion the setbacks and disappointments. Despite rewriting the history books in American women’s triple jump, the lack of appreciation from the sports world in general for both the event and my accomplishments was noticeable. Retirement is a much harder choice when you’re well-paid and feeling valued.”
● “At this time, I have complete clarity and confidence in my decision to jump off this hamster wheel and start chasing my potential elsewhere.”
She had already considered retirement in 2022, but stuck it out through 2024, reaching 14.50 m (47-7) indoors and ranking 12th on the combined world indoor-outdoor list. But it wasn’t among her top-10 performances. She wrote:
“I’m confident that most people, if they had been living in my body, would have made the same decision to retire. I felt terrible – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was glaringly clear that it was time to move on from jumping.”
She reflected that it felt right to stop:
“The irony of how I feel about my career is that I am so proud of achieving far more than I ever imagined for myself, YET I am disappointed that I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted and truly believed I was capable of. Both can be true. When I started track, I had no idea I could be this good. But as I improved, I began to see my potential and set bigger goals for myself.
“Everyone starts their journey in sports for different reasons, and everyone retires for different reasons. My hope is that when the time comes for you to make a big decision – whether it’s sport-related or not — you feel confident in your choice. No one else should make you feel like your reason isn’t good enough or that you’re too young, too old, or whatever people may say. ‘Let the thought of starting again excite you and not scare you.’ You can retire whenever you want, for whatever reason you want.
“And, of course, we always have the freedom to change our mind.”
She ended with a prayer, and advice: “If it drains you more than it uplifts you, it’s time to let it go.”
¶
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