Medford’s first Olympian since Dick Fosbury will try to follow in his historic golden footprints Friday morning after Jaida Ross was able to qualify for the finals in the women’s shot put Thursday at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, France.

Ross, who earlier this spring won a national championship at Oregon in the shot put, qualified fourth in her grouping and eighth overall Thursday with a throw of 18.58 meters (60 feet, 11 1/2 inches).

Twelve athletes in all advanced to Friday’s final, which begins around 10:30 a.m. Pacific time.

During the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Ross finished third at 19.60 meters behind 2022 and 2023 world champion Chase Jackson (20.10) and runner-up Raven Saunders (19.90).

On Thursday, Saunders was able to qualify just ahead of Ross with a throw of 18.62 meters to stand fourth in Group B, while Jackson was in Group A with Ross but failed to qualify for the finals after two fouls and then a throw of only 17.60 meters — well shy of the automatic qualifying mark of 19.15 — to finish 17th overall out of 31 competitors.

All told, only three athletes made the automatic mark in a somewhat muted qualification round overall Thursday, with Sarah Mitton of Canada leading the charge with a throw of 19.77 meters. New Zealand’s Maddison-Lee Wesche posted the second-best qualifying mark of 19.25 meters, followed by Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye (19.24).

If past history can be used as an indicator, Ross still has ample reason for optimism toward a podium finish in Paris once all is said and done.

Ross first broke the NCAA women’s shot put record with her 19.71-meter throw (64-8) at the Triton Invitational on April 6, and equaled that performance three weeks later at the Desert Heat Classic to further give hopes to a promising finish to her season.

She later broke the collegiate record in the shot put for a second time this spring with her toss of 20.01 meters (65-7.75) during the NCAA West Preliminary on May 23 in Fayetteville, Ark. With that mark, she became the first collegian and just the seventh American woman ever to eclipse 20 meters.

Ross owns four of the top five throws in collegiate history in the women’s shot put, including her final mark of 19.57 meters (64-2.50) during the NCAA Championships June 6 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

During her prep days, Ross was a two-time state champion in the shot put (2017, 2019) as well as a state runner-up (2018) while competing for North Medford High. Ross was a title favorite in the shot put and discus (third in 2018 and 2019) but saw her senior year wiped out by the coronavirus. She graduated from Logos Public Charter School in 2020.

Olympic Women’s Shot Put Qualification

Group A

1. Sarah Mitton, Canada, (19.77), 64-10 1-2 (Q).

2. Maddison-Lee Wesche, New Zealand, (19.25), 63-2 (Q).

3. Song Jiayuan, China, (18.73), 61-5 1-2 (q).

4. Jaida Ross, United States, (18.58), 60-11 1-2 (q).

5. Jessica Inchude, Portugal, (18.36), 60-2 3-4 (q).

6. Alina Kenzel, Germany, (18.16), 59-7 (q).

7. Axelina Johansson, Sweden, (18.16), 59-7 (q).

8. Lloydricia Cameron, Jamaica, (18.02), 59-1 1-2.

9. Chase Jackson, United States, (17.60), 57-9.

10. Ivana Xennia Gallardo, Chile, (17.47), 57-3 3-4.

11. Erna Soley Gunnarsdottir, Iceland, (17.39), 57-0 3-4.

12. Sun Yue, China, (17.33), 56-10 1-4.

13. Emel Dereli, Turkey, (17.02), 55-10.

14. Jorinde van Klinken, Netherlands, (16.35), 53-7 3-4.

15. Livia Avancini, Brazil, (16.26), 53-4 1-4.

16. Mine de Klerk, South Africa, (15.63), 51-3 1-2.

Group B

1. Yemisi Ogunleye, Germany, (19.24), 63-1 1-2 (Q).

2. Jessica Schilder, Netherlands, (18.92), 62-1 (q).

3. Gong Lijiao, China, (18.78), 61-7 1-2 (q).

4. Raven Saunders, United States, (18.62), 61-1 (q).

5. Fanny Roos, Sweden, (18.17), 59-7 1-2 (q).

6. Danniel Thomas-Dodd, Jamaica, (18.12), 59-5 1-2.

7. Eliana Bandeira, Portugal, (17.97), 58-11 1-2.

8. Katharina Maisch, Germany, (17.86), 58-7 1-4.

9. Klaudia Kardasz, Poland, (17.45), 57-3.

10. Portious Warren, Trinidad and Tobago, (17.22), 56-6.

11. Ana Caroline Silva, Brazil, (17.09), 56-0 3-4.

12. Maria Belen Toimil, Spain, (16.83), 55-2 3-4.

13. Alida van Daalen, Netherlands, (16.53), 54-2 3-4.

14. Dimitriana Bezede, Moldova, (16.35), 53-7 3-4.

15. Natalia Duco, Chile, (16.11), 52-10 1-4.