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Reigning world indoor and outdoor champion Yulimar Rojas cemented her place as the world's best triple jumper on Saturday by winning gold in the Women's Triple Jump at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England.
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The 22-year-old Venezuelan achieved a jump of 14.63 meters, the furthest distance recorded by any female jumper in the world this year, to secure the world indoor title. Rojas performance saw her finish ahead of Jamaica's Kimberly Williams, who was second with a best distance of 14.48 meters, and Spain's Ana Peleteiro, who finished third with 14.40 meters.
After her win, Rojas told members of the media: “This is a great achievement for Venezuela and for our nation,” adding “I hope I brought a bit of joy to them and they enjoyed watching it."
“Thanks to god, thanks to my family, and my federation. I trained so hard for this. It is hard to find words to describe my feelings. It was a difficult competition and it has given me great inspiration for the summer," she said.
Rojas defended her title brilliantly according to analyst but faced several injury concerns in the months before the championships. In the build-up to the event, but the athlete, who is coached by five-time world indoor long jump champion Iván Pedroso of Cuba, improved her fitness after a foot injury at her training camp in Portugal.
Rojas said ahead of the final: "I have dreamed it, and I will get it. The Gloria Al Bravo Pueblo (Venezuelan anthem) will ring in Birmingham."
She added: "We are firm, prepared and motivated to represent the tricolor and the eight stars at the Birmingham World Championships again."
Rojas, who was the reigning champion in the event having claimed gold when the championships were held in the United States in 2016, is also the world outdoor champion, a title she claimed in 2017 in London, and an Olympic silver medalist.
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