TOKYO, August 2, 2021 - And the long-awaited day for Yulimar Rojas arrived… August 1, 2021 has become the most important day of her career and perhaps of her personal sports life so far. That Sunday made her the queen of triple jump. Not only did she win the Olympic gold medal by registering a 15.67m jump, an Olympic and world outdoor record. The world record was 15.50m achieved by Inessa Kravets of Ukraine on August 10, 1995, while the Olympic record of 15.39m belonged to Francoise Mbango of Cameroon since August 17, 2008.

Sports lovers did not only witness her six jumps which led to the gold medal, but all the other jumps she made along the track when she realized she was the champion. She was accompanied by her training partner the Spaniard Ana Peleteiro who was as excited as Yulimar herself and did not hesitate to hug her as they jumped on one side of the track.

And also the runs and shouts of joy when her world record was confirmed, she couldn't believe it. Then she took the flag of Venezuela, wrapped herself in it, and kept running until she met the Cuban Iván Pedroso, her coach with whom she only exchanged looks as he was in the tribune. Before squating in front of the board displaying her record and posed for the photographers.

The road to glory
Yulimar began the competition with a fabulous jump that already showed what was coming, she registered 15.41m (+1.1)* that not only placed her in first place, but with which she broke the Olympic record. The second was not bad, but she was below 15 meters, 14.53m, (+1.1)* and the third jump was invalid. She came for the fourth attempt and again overcame the 15m line scoring 15.25m (+0.1)*, but then the fifth was again a foul. Until that moment, the only one who had managed to pass the 15 meters had been the Portuguese Patricia Mamona (15.01), which left Yulimar as the great winner; but the best was yet to come, the competition still needed the cherry on the cake, already, the early morning wake up of the Venezuelans had been worth it, and it was worth more when the one born in Caracas registered the greatest jump of glory, that 15.67m (+0.1)* that one that was sealed with a shout of happiness, that was surely heard even by the gods of Olympus.

"We have fulfilled, it has been a long road from my beginning to this moment, but today the new era of Yulimar Rojas has materialized," were her first words to the journalist of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee.

Yulimar writes history
In addition to the medal and the records already mentioned, Yulimar became the first female Olympic gold medalist of Venezuela, the previous champions have been the boxer Francisco Rodríguez in Mexico 1968, Arlindo Gouveia in the Taekwondo of Barcelona 1992 and the fencer Rubén Limardo in London 2012.

“I have always said that I wanted to be the first Venezuelan woman to get an Olympic gold medal and this is what has given me strength, what has made me what I am and to get the strength to move forward, to be able to fulfill the goals that I have set for myself, and well, here it is: we are champions Venezuela.”

Venezuela medals in numbers

"Now I'm going to enjoy this medal, but this year I have a new goal which is to finally get the Diamond in the League, and close my season with a flourish."

*Wind in favor