Yulimar Rojas: Olympic champion out of Paris 2024 due to serious injury

Yulimar Rojas

Yulimar Rojas: Olympic champion out of Paris 2024 due to serious injury

Funmilayo Fameso 18:04 - 12.04.2024

Yulimar Rojas won't be defending her Olympic title in Paris after sustaining an injury in training.

Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas will sadly not defend her triple jump title in Paris after a bad fall in training that led to the diagnosis of an injury to her left Achilles tendon.

The Venezuelan jump queen disclosed this via a release on her Instagram page, stating her regret of not being able to represent her people and defend her title in Paris. 

Yulimar Rojas in the hospital after undergoing surgery on her left Achilles tendon. Photo Credit - @yulimarrojas45 / IG

"To my Venezuela, to the family of the Olympic and Sports Movement, especially to my followers; I want to inform you that I will not be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

With great pain and sadness I want to tell you that while training by falling downhill from a jump I was in intense pain that was diagnosed with an injury to my left achilles tendon. My heart is broken and I feel so sad that I want to apologize for not being able to represent you in Paris 2024

It has been very complex hours, in which I have questioned and analyzed why this has happened, yet I understand that, in God's designs, we are only instruments of His will. Today I feel very emotionally affected by not being able to represent them, the desire to defend my Olympic title excited me enormously but today I have to stop, understand this, recover and come back with a lot of strength to continue flying together.

I want to thank my family, friends and all my work team, who at this time have not separated from me trying to make me understand the very complex situation I go through. To all my sponsors and sporting institutions in my country for all the support given.

I wish you a lot of success to our Venezuelan delegation in Paris 2024, since I am already very proud of you, and to my track mates, who do their best to reach also the glory.

See you soon, with the same dreams and desire.

Yulimar Rojas 🫶"

Yulimar Rojas is the greatest female triple jumper in history

Rojas holds the indoor World Record (WR) in the women's triple jump event at 15.67m, and outdoor WR at 15.74m. She became the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion with her first jump in a new Olympic record of 15.41m, thus breaking Françoise Mbango's 15.39m record set at Beijing 2008.

On her final attempt, she improved this to 15.67m, also breaking the WR which had previously been held by Inessa Kravets since 1995 at 15.50m (50 ft 10 in). 

Her historic achievement in Tokyo made her Venezuela's first female Olympic gold medalist. In addition, she's a four-time world champion (London 2017, Doha 2019, Eugene 2022, and Budapest 2023, three-time world indoor champion (Portland 2016, Birmingham 2018, and Belgrade 2022), and a three-time Diamond League champion (2021, 2022, and 2023) - staying undefeated in the event since 2017.

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