STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State women's long jumper Prestina Ochonogor was tabbed to Nigeria's squad heading to the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan on Sept. 13-21, Nigeria announced on Monday.
 
The freshman will be making her first appearance at the World Championships after earning a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. When she competed at the Olympics, she was just 17 years old, one of the youngest at the event. Now, the 19-year-old will look to improve on her 12^th place finish in the long jump at the Olympics at the 2025 World Championships.
 
"We are so proud of Prestina, this is a great accomplishment," said head coach Bobby Carter. "I believe if I'm not mistaken, Prestina is the youngest and only athlete in Tarleton State Athletics history to make an Olympic Team, and World Championship Team. She has worked very hard this year, and it has shown very well. One thing she has told me all this year is that anything means nothing until you make it something. Well, she has done just that! Greater is coming! "
 
Ochonogor had an outstanding first collegiate season for the Texans. As soon as she arrived in the United States, the freshman got right to work and won her first college title, the WAC indoor long jump. She not only set the school record, but also the WAC Indoor Championships meet record with a best leap of 6.64 meters. Her leap qualified her for a spot at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships. Competing in a field full of Power Four competitors, she qualified for the finals and finished eighth overall. With a best jump of 6.43 meters, she earned First Team All-American status, the only freshman to earn the honor in the women's long jump this season.
 
But the Benin, Nigeria, native, wasn't done yet. In the outdoor season, Ochonogor showed the nation that she had more in store. In her first meet of the outdoor slate, she earned silver at the prestigious Texas Relay with a 6.48-meter leap. She was the top collegian in the competition but placed runner-up to a professional jumper that entered the competition. Later in the season at the WAC Championships, Ochonogor defended her indoor title, and won the women's outdoor long jump crown as well. Once again, the freshman tied the meet record with a best leap of 6.67 meters. She also earned All-WAC honors with a seventh-place finish in the 100 meters crossing in 11.62 seconds. After Ochonogor's performances at the WAC Championships and the entire regular season, she was the second Texan in 2025 to earn WAC Freshman of the Year joining indoor freshman, Victoria Cameron.
 
In the postseason, Ochonogor made waves at the NCAA West First Rounds. In just her three given jumps, Ochonogor leapt 6.66 meters to finish second in the West Region and earn a spot at the 2025 NCAA Track and Field National Championships in Eugene, Ore. Just two weeks later, she found herself competing in two events, the women's long jump and a member of the Texans 4x100 meter relay team. She competed in both events on the same day, starting with a 15^th place finish in the relay to earn Second Team All-American honors. But, Ochonogor wasn't done yet. She then made the women's long jump finals and earned another First Team All-American honor with a 6.41-meter jump.
 
With the NCAA season complete, Ochonogor then returned to her home country of Nigeria for more competition over the summer. In the middle of July, she earned gold in the women's long jump at the African U20 Championships. She also set the new U20 African record with a gold medal winning jump of 6.71 meters. Then just two weeks later, she won her second gold medal of the summer winning her second Nigerian national title in the women's long jump. Her best leap of 6.52 meters gave her back-to-back Nigerian long jump titles after winning the 2024 crown as well.
 
After all of her competitions she enters the World Championships ranked 35^th in the world. She is the youngest jumper ranked in the top 40, having just turned 19 in July. She will be one of the 15 Nigerian athletes selected to represent Team Nigeria in September. She is one of two women's long jumpers to represent her country joining three-time Olympian Ese Brume.
 
The World Championships happen every other year and have been hosted in 16 different countries since 1976. The last world championships in 2023 was held in Budapest, Hungary and the 2027 edition will be held in Beijing, China. The event occurs the year before and after the Olympics as another top showcase for world-class athletes to compete against each other.
 
At the 2023 World Championships, Serbia's Ivana Vuleta took home the gold medal with the 2023 world's best leap at the time of 7.14 meters. Ochonogor's now teammate, Ese Brume finished fourth with a leap of 6.84 meters. In the field of 36, the top 12 after the first three jumps reached the finals. In 2023, the last qualifying jump into the finals was 6.61 meters, a mark that Ochonogor has surpassed multiple times this season.
 
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will kick off in Tokyo, Japan at Japan National Stadium. The women's long jump competition will begin on September 13^th with the qualifying round. Each competitor will get three jumps, with the best 12 jumps heading to the finals the next day. The qualifying round will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tokyo time, and 4:30 a.m. CT. Sunday's finals will be at 6:30 a.m. CT. More information on how to watch and follow along will be released later.