Rojé Stona (born 26 February 1999) is a Jamaican track and field athlete who competes in the discus throw. He broke the Olympic record to win the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, thus becoming the first Jamaican to be Olympic Champion at a throwing event.[2]
 Stona in 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 26 February 1999 Jamaica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Discus, Shot put | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Arkansas Razorbacks, Clemson Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Ryan Crouser, Shawn Cobey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | Discus: 70.00 m (Paris, 2024) Shot put: 20.48 m (Boston, 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editHe started his secondary school throwing career at Rusea's High School in Hanover, where he won the Class Two boys discus at the Western Championships in 2014.[3][4] He then attended St. Jago High School in Spanish Town, Jamaica.[5] He also attended Clemson University, where in 2022 he earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, and the University of Arkansas.[6][7]
Career
editAthletics
editHe won gold in the discus at the 2019 NACAC U23 Championships in Mexico.[8] He won silver in the discus at the 2019 NACAC U23 Championships behind compatriot Kai Chang.[9]
He qualified for the final of the discus at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, finishing sixth overall.[10] He was runner-up to Turner Washington in the discus at the 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas in June 2023.[11]
He competed in the men’s discus at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and threw 62.57 metres.[12]
In April 2024, Stona achieved the qualifying mark for the discus at the 2024 Summer Olympics in finishing second at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, with a personal best distance of 69.05m.[13] He then won the discus throw at the LA Grand Prix in May 2024 with a throw of 66.93 metres.[14] In July 2024, he was officially selected for the Jamaican team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[15]
In the Paris 2024 Olympics, Stona clinched the gold medal in the men's discus throw. He set a new personal best and an Olympic record with a throw of 70.0 meters in the 4th round, surpassing silver medalist Mykolas Alekna, who had broken his father Virgilijus Alekna's 20-year Olympic record just minutes earlier with a throw of 69.97 meters. This victory was the first Olympic gold medal for Jamaica in a throwing event, and the second Olympic medal overall, after Rajindra Campbell’s bronze in the shot put event three days before. It was also Jamaica's first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.[16][17]
NFL
editIn May 2024, he was invited to rookie minicamps by the NFL teams Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. 6’6″ and 270 pounds, he did not play American Football competitively at college.[18] In December 2024, he was announced as joining the NFL's International Player Pathway scheme.[19]
International competitions
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | CARIFTA Games (U17) | St. George's, Grenada | 2nd | Discus throw (1.5 kg) | 53.12 m |
| World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 33rd (q) | Discus throw (1.75 kg) | 62.67 m | |
| 2017 | CARIFTA Games (U20) | Willemstad, Curaçao | 1st | Discus throw (1.75 kg) | 66.41 m |
| Pan American U20 Championships | Trujillo, Peru | 4th | Discus throw (1.75 kg) | 58.63 m | |
| 2018 | CARIFTA Games (U20) | Nassau, Bahamas | 1st | Discus throw (1.75 kg) | 63.77 m |
| 2019 | NACAC U23 Championships | Querétaro City, Mexico | 1st | Discus throw | 56.97 m |
| 2021 | NACAC U23 Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 2nd | Discus throw | 61.21 m |
| 2022 | Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 6th | Discus throw | 62.15 m |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 19th (q) | Discus throw | 62.67 m |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 1st | Discus throw | 70.00 m (PB)(OR) |
References
edit- ^ "STONA Roje | Paris 2024". olympics.com. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Roje Stona". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20240808/stonas-first-coach-over-moon
- ^ https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/08/08/coaches-hail-jamaicas-growth-throwing-events-stonas-stunner/
- ^ "Roje Stona invited to rookie mini camp by Green Bay Packers & New Orleans Saints". Iriefm.net. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Muskan (March 15, 2024). "Arkansas Razorbacks' Roje Stona sets foot into NFL days after bagging shotput silver medal at World Athletics Indoor Championships". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Meet Roje Stona: The Razorback graduate pursuing Olympic gold and Engineering success". Caribbean National Weekly. March 14, 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Six Medals For Jamaica during Opening Session At NACAC Champs". Track Alerts. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Jamaica comes out as top Caribbean nation at NACAC 2021". Our Today. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Smikle, Stona in discus final". Jamaica Gleaner. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Making the team would be a huge deal – Stona". Jamaica Gleaner. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Smikle, Dacres through; Stona misses out on discus final". Jamaica Gleaner. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Jamaica to have three men in Paris Olympics discus throw after Stona's PB". Jamaica Observer. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ Mull, Cory (May 18, 2024). "Olympic Standards, U.S. Trials Marks And More From The LA Grand Prix". Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Levy, Leighton (July 7, 2024). "JAAA announces star-studded team for 2024 Paris Olympic Games". Sportsmax.tv. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ McCarvel, Nick (2024-08-07). "Paris 2024 Athletics Men's Discus Throw: All Results as Roje Stona Wins the Gold Medal".
- ^ Henderson, Jason (Aug 7, 2024). "Roge Stona beats Alekna to Olympic discus gold". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Packers Invite Jamaican Shot Put Thrower to Rookie Minicamp". Heavy.com. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Petaia, Stona & Sexton named in NFL's 2025 IPP class". BBC Sport. 9 December 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
