STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State women's long jumper Prestina Ochonogor will compete for Nigeria in the women's long jump at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan on Sept. 13-14 at the Tokyo National Stadium.
 
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 12th place finish in the long jump at the Olympics at the 2025 World Championships.
 
Ochonogor will compete in the qualifying rounds of the women's long jump on Saturday night in Tokyo but 4:30 am CT. She will be in the field of 18 women that will be given three jumps in the qualification round with the best 12 women qualifying for Sunday's finals, at 6:30 am CT. In the finals, the final 12 jumpers will each be given six jumps with those the only jumps counting for the chance to win medals. Both Saturday and Sunday will be streamed on CNBC and Peacock.
 
"This is not only a big deal for Tarleton State Track and Field, but also a big deal for Tarleton  State Athletics as a whole," said head coach Bobby Carter. "What this young lady has accomplished is remarkable. We are so proud of her and I truly believe that she will get the job done. One thing Prestina has always said is that remember where you are coming from, understand where you are coming from and recognize where you are going! Well, this young lady knows where she is going."
 
Among the 18 women in the competition, Ochonogor has the 14^th best personal best entering the competition, 6.79 meters. This season, her best of 6.67 meters is also the 14^th best in the event. The field is highlighted by 2024 Olympic Champion, USA's Tara Davis-Woodhall. Her leap of 7.10 meters won the long jump at the Paris Games.
 
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.
 
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 15th 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 35th 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.
 
After the completion of the 2025 World Championships, Ochonogor will be the final Texan athlete to conclude her summer season. She will rejoin her teammates back in Stephenville as they prepare for the upcoming indoor track and field season. More information on the schedule for both the indoor and outdoor slates will be released at a later date.