Chase Jackson's stay for competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics was just 20 minutes long.
The 2012 Los Alamos High School graduate and two-time world shot put champion made a quick exit in the event Thursday. Considered one of the favorites going in, Jackson scratched on her first two attempts and only managed a 17.60-meter effort that placed her 17th out of a field of 31 throwers. The top 12 advanced to the finals, set for Friday.
Jackson was competing in her first Olympics after winning the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. After committing fouls in her first two attempts, Jackson had to play it safe and ensure she completed one toss. However, it fell .56 of a meter short of qualifying for the finals.
Jackson was the lone shot putter from the U.S. who did not advance, as teammates Raven Saunders and Jada Ross both advanced.
In a video on Instagram on Thursday, Jackson said she cried a lot after her performance but vowed to use it as motivation moving forward.Â
"The hardest part is feeling like I disappointed people and I let people down," Jackson said. "I want this to be a learning experience for me and fuel my fire."
After a distinguished career at Los Alamos from 2009-12 in which she was a four-time Class 4A 100-meter champion and a two-time winner of the shot put, Ealey competed at Oklahoma State University from 2012-2016. She was a runner-up in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2016. Upon turning pro, Jackson became the U.S. indoor and outdoor champion in 2019 and repeated as indoor champion in 2020.Â
Jackson's career took off in 2022 when she won the shot put at the World Track and Field Championships, becoming the first American to do so. She followed it up by repeating as champion in 2023.Â
