The Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, owner of the world record in triple jump and Olympic champion in Tokyo, met the predictions by winning the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador and also secured qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Rojas needed only the first jump at the Jorge ‘Magico’ González Stadium to win the competition with 15.16 meters and set a new record for the region, which Colombian Caterine Ibargüen had 14.92 since Barranquilla 2018 (silver medal in London 2012 and gold in Rio 2016).
On July 1, the period for achieving the minimum marks in athletics to be in Paris 2024 had opened and that of the triple jump was 14.55, something that those who completed the podium also managed to overcome: the Cuban Leyanis Pérez (14.98 m) and Liadagmis Povea (14.85).
After having achieved the best record of the season, the Caracas born assured that she will not be satisfied with being “one of the many that has jumped above 15 meters”, but that she dreams of being “the first to open the gap of 16, it’s like another galaxy”.
“Every day I’m surpassing myself, every day I’m walking towards that goal and when I do, which I know I’m going to do soon, it’s totally crazy,” Rojas wished and gave a beating about her participation in the World Cup in Budapest, her next big event: “I’m getting to my best shape to win that title in Budapest”.
Rojas already has the record of winning three consecutive World Cups in triple jumps (London 2017, Doha 2019 and Oregon 2022) and will seek the fourth in Budapest: qualification is scheduled for August 23 and three days later the title will be defined.
Rojas became the first Olympic champion in Venezuela at the Tokyo Games and the gold medal also came with two records: the 15.67 she jumped, surpassed the Olympic record that Cameroonian Francoise Mbango had since Beijing 2008 of 15.39 and the world championship record of 15.50 that the Ukrainian Inessa Kravets had set in 1995.
In addition, the 27-year-old Venezuelan athlete also holds the world record for triple jump on an indoor court, which she won last year at the World Cup in Belgrade with 15.74.
After second place in Rio 2016 and the gold medal in Tokyo 2020, Rojas will participate in her third Olympic Games in Paris and it will be necessary to see if by that time she has managed to jump beyond 16 meters to become from “another galaxy”.
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