We have often focused our attention disproportionately on track athletics, and paying scant regard to field events. But, on this occasion, we will focus our attention on the twenty-five-year-old, Yulimar Rojas, who is regarded by many as the greatest female triple jumper in history. Just how good is this 1.92m or 6ft 4" Venezuelan triple jumper?
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Rojas finished second to Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia. The winning distance then was 15.17m. And, it was at that Olympics that special note was being taken of the tall and lanky Venezuelan, who, at the time, was only twenty years old.
One year later, at the 2017 London World Championship, the twenty-one-year-old, Yulimar Rojas, turned the tables on her arch-rival, Caterine Ibarguen, winning in a competitive distance of 14.91m. This was to mark a trend of consistency and superlative performance, by the animated and talented Venezuelan.
At the 2019 Beijing World Championship, Yulimar Rojas defended her 2017 World Championship title, winning in a much-improved distance of 15.37m. It was clear to many that a new "queen" of the triple jump had arrived.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that was staged in the summer of 2021, Rojas jumped to a new mark of 15.67m, and in the process, setting an Olympic Record, and a World Record. This jump took her clear of the twenty-six-year-old World Record of 15.50m which was set by Inessa Kravets of the Ukraine, at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championship.
Indeed, for the 2021 season alone, Yulimar Rojas has put together an impressive compilation of triple jumps that were in excess of 15m, at every single event that she competed, that is, a total of nine events. In Andujar, Spain, she jumped 15.43m which was her third best effort. And in Zurich, she jumped her second-best distance of 15.48m, to win the Diamond League Final.
In Summary, among numerous other national and regional Championships, Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela, has won, one Olympic Games Gold, one Olympic Games Silver, two World Championship Gold, two World Indoor Gold, 1 Pan American Games Gold, one South American Championship Silver and five Diamond League Trophies. In addition to these, Rojas is currently the World and Olympic Record holder in the female triple Jump. Therefore, to my mind, Yulimar Rojas is the greatest female triple Jumper of all times, and one of the greatest track and field athletes ever.
Henley Taylor
Freelance Sports Writer
Edited by Raymond Byfield
Rojas photo courtesy of her Facebook page
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