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McGuigan student takes All-American honours at U.S. meet
Divinegift Oriakhi of James Cardinal McGuigan (JCM) Catholic High School shined in triple jump competitions in both Virgina and Massachusetts last month.
Photo courtesy Divinegift Oriakhi
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OSV News photo/CPP
Divinegift Oriakhi prefers to let her athleticism speak for her rather than her words.
During an interview with The Catholic Register, the 16-year-old triple jumper commented succinctly but purposely about earning the coveted All-American designation at the 2025 New Balance Nationals indoor track and field championships held March 13-16 in Boston.
“It is quite exciting,” said Oriakhi, a Grade 11 student at Toronto James Cardinal McGuigan (JCM) Catholic High School. “(I) look at it now, and it’s like, ‘I’m an All-American.’ I’m proud of myself because I’ve improved so much in my first year, and I can go farther.”
Oriakhi’s personal-best jump of 12.51m was first among Canadians and fourth among 52 high school girls who achieved a recorded result. She represented the Flying Angels Track & Field Academy.
One week earlier, she had an impressive showing at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Indoor National Championship at Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she took second place with a jump of 12.37m, competing in the 17-18-year-old girls triple jump.
How bright is Oriakhi’s future? Limitless suggested JCM track coach Nick Vescio.
“She is actually very close to being one of the best in the world right now in triple jump,” said Vescio. “Hopefully, by the end of this summer, she'll be in that conversation of number one for best under-18 triple jumpers in the world.”
Vescio underscored that the main focus is ensuring Oriakhi secures placement at a Canadian or American university or college. He said that JCM does work to monitor all student-athletes academically. Adjustments are made to their schedule to ensure homework assignments can either be completed earlier or sent with the student on the road. Extra tutoring is also made available.
There are six members of the JCM track and field team poised to earn scholarships next year. He suggested Oriakhi also “definitely has the potential to be an Olympian.”
“I want to go to the Olympics,” Oriakhi declared.
Qualifying for the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia is an aspiration she will strive for in the coming years. She could choose to represent Canada, Italy or Nigeria if and when the time comes. (She was born in Nigeria before moving to Italy as a young child. Her family came to Canada when she was five.)
Upon arriving at JCM as a Grade 9 student, Vescio said Oriakhi was identified as an athlete “with a very high ceiling.” He said it “took some convincing” to encourage the girl keen on playing basketball to come try out for track and field.
After experimenting with sprints, the high jump and the long jump, Oriakhi found her groove as a triple jumper in Grade 10 and secured a gold medal at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Track and Field Championships with an 11.66m leap.
Oriakhi told the Register, “I always have a smile on my face, but I know how to lock in for my sport.”
Just before each competition, she offers a personal prayer to the Lord, and sometimes she prays with her teammates.
Vescio said when Oriakhi is in her natural element — practising with her teammates — “she's full of energy. She's always hopping around, joking, laughing. She's always got something funny to say and she's always on the go.”
In addition to full practices each Monday and Tuesday, Oriakhi devotes time to sprinting every other day.
(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)
A version of this story appeared in the April 06, 2025, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Sky's the limit for Toronto triple jumper".
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