Yulimar Rojas was named World Athlete of the Year in the Women’s Field category this year, which calls for a look back at her remarkable season.
The Venezuelan triple jumper has always given it her all in all of her competitions, and in every single one of them, Rojas gave us nothing short of a brilliant performance.
Rojas and the CACG
The 28-year-old opened her series with a bang in July of this year at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama. In her first jump, Rojas immediately smashed the regional record of 14.92 meters set by Colombian Caterine Ibargüen in 2018, leaping an astonishing distance of 15.16 meters.
By that point, the Olympics had just opened their gates and started accepting minimum marks for the event. And as the qualifying mark for the triple jump in the Summer Games was 14.55, Rojas immediately secured her Paris berth.
The following month, Rojas took part in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where she aspired to defend her gold medal in the triple jump event. Clinching first in three editions, Rojas was the heavy favorite to win the gold medal.
However, in her first-to-fifth attempts, Rojas had three fouls and two below-par efforts of 14.33m and 14.26m. This left Rojas on a tightrope as she dropped to eighth place on the scoreboard. Fortunately, the Venezuelan made a last-ditch effort to win gold in her final jump, leaping 15.08 meters. Although the record wasn’t her greatest, it was enough to put her in first place and secure her fourth title.
Wanda Diamond League
Rojas went on to compete at the Zurich leg of the WDL and clinched her third victory of the season by jumping 15.15 meters on her fourth try, automatically qualifying for the WDL final or the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon.
At the Prefontaine Classic, Rojas not only won the gold medal but also established a new world-leading mark and meet record of 15.35 meters, edging past Shanieka Ricketts with 15.03 meters and Kimberly Williams with 14.61 meters.
A new world lead by Yulimar Rojas in the Women's Triple Jump to finish the season 🎊
1⃣ Yulimar Rojas | 15.35m (MR)
2⃣ Shanieka Ricketts | 15.03m (PB)
3⃣ Kimberly Williams | 14.61m (SB)#EugeneDL 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/1UXa6AJkj7— Nike Prefontaine Classic (@nikepreclassic) September 16, 2023
This triumph signaled the end of her season, as she announced on September 5 on her X account that she would not be taking part in the 2023 Pan American Games due to the disruption it would cause to her winter training, which is crucial for the Olympic Games.
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Cover Photo: IG
