Jaida Ross

Medal record

Women's athletics
Representing  United States
NACAC U23 Championships
	2023 San Jose	Shot put

Jaida Ross (born October 29, 2001) is an American track and field athlete who competes in shot put and discus throw.^[1] She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she placed 4th in women's shot put, and was the 2024 NCAA Division I champion in the event. Ross was the first collegiate woman to break 20 m (65 ft 7+1⁄4 in) in shot put.^[2][3]

Ross was born on October 29, 2001, in Medford, Oregon, to mother Amanda Krug, a mental health professional.^[4][5] She has a twin sister named Jazzlyn.^[6]

Ross graduated from North Medford High School in 2020, where she was one of the top throwers in the country.^[7][8] She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, and where she also competed in shot put and discus for the Oregon Ducks.^[9]

Despite the cancelation of her senior season at North Medford High School due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ross embarked on her collegiate career at the University of Oregon, competing in shot put and discus for the Oregon Ducks starting in the 2021 season.^[2]

In 2022, Ross placed 5th in shot put at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships with a throw of 17.83 m (58 ft 5+3⁄4 in) and 9th in discus with a throw of 53.84 m (176 ft 7+1⁄2 in).^[10]

In July 2023, she beat Jalani Davis to win gold in shot put at the 2023 U23 NACAC Championship with a throw of 18.35 m (60 ft 2+1⁄4 in).^[11]

In April 2024, Ross set a new NCAA record in the women's shot put at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California, with a throw of 19.71 m (64 ft 7+3⁄4 in), breaking the record set by Adelaide Aquilla in 2022.^[12][13] The next month, in May 2024, Ross broke her own NCAA shot put record at the 2024 NCAA Division I West First Rounds, with a throw of 20.01 m (65 ft 7+3⁄4 in).^[14] In doing so, she became the first collegiate woman to pass the 20-meter mark in shot put, and just the seventh woman in American history.^[15]

In 2024, Ross closed out her collegiate career as the NCAA Division I outdoor champion in shot put, with a throw of 19.57 m (64 ft 2+1⁄4 in), and placed 2nd at the indoor championships, with a throw of 18.47 m (60 ft 7 in).^[1]

Ross competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she placed 4th in shot put with a throw of 19.28 m (63 ft 3 in).^[1]

Ross is currently at work on a master's degree in prevention science at University of Oregon; she hopes to follow in her mother's steps to work in a helping profession in the future.^[16]

Growing up, Ross looked up to Olympic gold medal shot putter Michelle Carter, saying, "I love what she does for the throws world, I love what she does for the Black community."^[17] Ross got to compete alongside Carter at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Ross' first championships and Carter's last before retiring from competition.^[17]

All results are taken from Ross' World Athletics profile.

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result	Notes
2023	NACAC U23 Championships	San Jose, Costa Rica	1st	Shot put	18.35 m (60 ft 2+1⁄4 in)	—
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	4th	Shot put	19.28 m (63 ft 3 in)	—