SE: Okorie Making Great Strides in Heptathlon, To Represent U.S. in Pan American Junior Championships

Ariel Okorie wants to be an FBI agent someday. She also wants to be an Olympian. These dreams blossomed years ago for Okorie, a multi-event track and field athlete at K-State, but when she sets her mind on something, she's in it for the long haul.

"If I commit to something, I don't want to just quit halfway through," Okorie said. "My parents kind of instilled that in me."

Okorie continues to take steps toward both dreams. Currently studying international business at K-State, she plans to start learning to speak Russian in the fall. Before then, she will represent the United States in the Pan American Junior Championships from Friday to Sunday, in Lima, Peru. It's an opportunity she earned by winning the heptathlon at the U.S. Junior Outdoor Championships on June 23, in Sacramento, California.

"In the future I always wanted to represent my country in some way, shape or form. I didn't think it would be this soon,' Okorie said. "I think it's exciting to get that first-hand experience right, then and there, so that if I do have the chance to represent the U.S., again, it won't be so much of a shock. I'm excited."

In Sacramento, Okorie posted a career-best total heptathlon score of 5,266 points, which included personal-bests in the shot put and 200-meter dash. While her mark in the shot put, 10.64m/34-11.00, was the fifth-farthest throw in the event, it greatly surpassed her previous best distance of 9.76m/32-0.25.

"When I hit the PR, it was kind of a relief for me," said Okorie, who was disappointed in her 100-meter hurdles time (13.93) to start the first day. "The shot put helped a lot."

A third-place finisher as a freshman in the Big 12 Outdoor Championships this spring, Okorie started the last day of heptathlon at the U.S. Junior Outdoor Championships in second place. She pulled ahead quickly by winning the long jump and finishing second in the javelin to gain a 130-point edge heading into the 800-meter run, the heptathlon's final event.

When she finished third in the 800, in what was a tight race, Okorie wasn't sure if she had done enough to hold on for the victory. Tierra Crockrell, who was chasing Okorie for points in the overall standings, won the 800 but only beat Okorie by one second, which was not nearly enough to overcome the Wildcat's lead.

"It sank in after we had left," Okorie said of the milestone moment, which altered her confidence in a positive way. "I'm not as far behind as I thought I was and it kind of helped looking into the future, like, 'OK, I'm on the right pace and I'm on the right track for where I want to be for the future, next year or maybe 2020.'"

The 2020 Summer Olympics will take place in Tokyo, Japan, and Okorie has her sights set on trying to make Team USA by then. The task will be tall, as it took more than 6,400 points to qualify to Team USA in the heptathlon in 2016, but Okorie knows she's at the right place to prepare for the challenge.

First, K-State Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto, one of the most renowned multi-event minds in the world, coaches Okorie. She also trains around Akela Jones, a former K-State star who became the first Barbados heptathlete ever at the Olympics last year, while also being pushed by her teammate Nina Schultz, a heptathlete from Canada with Olympic potential as well.

"Coming in, I wasn't sure where I was going to be because I wasn't at a score I wanted to be at collegiately. But after improving so quickly and so greatly, it made me feel more confident. It helped immensely to be here for a year," Okorie said. "Going into college and having those kind of people around to help you to train and who are also like-minded and have the same commitment level, it helps a lot. I think it's more so on the mental side. It's like, 'OK, I'm not doing this alone. They actually know what's going on and I don't have to go through this thinking I'm the only one who actually wants to do this.'"

Considering Okorie's rise the heptathlon already — her best total from high school was 4,643 points, 623 less than last week's winning total — she's off to a good start.

With seven events to work on, Okorie said trying to forecast what the future holds is difficult. Her national title in California, however, felt like significant progress.

"It's kind of hard to picture how you're going to get there, considering how hard it is to train and to compete with this event," she said. "I think, for me, this is an immense step, though."

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Okorie Making Great Strides in Heptathlon, To Represent U.S. in Pan American Junior Championships

Players Mentioned

Akela Jones

Related Videos