The Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas continues to jump higher, reaching further and, consequently, breaking records.
Born in Caracas in 1995, but raised with her six siblings in a humble neighborhood of Puerto La Cruz, in eastern Venezuela Yulimar showed his interest in sports from an early age.
He played volleyball and tried other facets of the athletics world, but it was in the triple jump that his talent became evident.
And throughout her career, fate would agree with all those who believed in her from the beginning .
With scarcely 25 years and an imposing stature of 1, 92 meters, the Venezuelan athlete made history this Sunday by breaking the record Olympic and World Cup, getting the gold medal in the women’s triple jump in Tokyo 2020.
Rojas, who also became the first Venezuelan woman to win an Olympic gold, reached the 15, 67 meters with an impressive jump, surpassing the Olympic mark of the Cameroonian Francoise Mbango of 15, 39 m and the world record of 15, 67 m that the Ukrainian Inessa Kravets obtained in 1995, before Rojas was born .
A dream come true
“A dream come true reality, what can I tell you? Olympic Champion, world record holder here in Tokyo and a dream that I had since I was a child, today it materializes and I am very happy to be able to live this experience (…) I am now the happiest girl on the planet “, assured a radiant Yulimar before a group of journalists at the end of the competition this Sunday, including BBC Mundo.
” There are no words that can describe it right now. I am in a cloud. I dont believe it. We have fulfilled, it has been a long journey that today materializes here in Tokyo as the new era of Yulimar Rojas “, he added.
It was during the Beijing Olympics 2008 that the Venezuelan began to dream of becoming an athlete, after the participation of the Venezuelan volleyball team at that sporting event.
“I was excited about the volleyball team that had qualified for the Beijing Olympics, but when I went to the there were no volleyball coaches, and it was the athletics who saw me, and immediately noticed at me “, recalled in 2016 in u na interview with the Venezuelan news portal Runrunes .
Example of struggle and perseverance
Little did that girl know from 13 years lover of salsa, vallenato, merengue and reggaeton that his dream would come true.
“The dream was born in the little ranch (humble dwelling), which got wet (…) it scared me with storms, with rains, it moved and now I am a consecrated Yulimar Rojas. It is a example of struggle and perseverance , that if you believe and fight for your dreams you can achieve them. ”
Two years later he participated in the XVIII National Games of Venezuela, in Lara State, winning the high jump event with 1, 70 meters.
In 2011 , the Venezuelan obtained her first great international achievement in the South American Youth Athletics Championship in Medellín, Colombia, in which won in high jump , with 1, 78 meters.
In subsequent years he continued to break records and collect ionizing medals to earn a deserved place in his first Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
The 14 in August of that year he obtained his first medal Olympic silver in triple jump with mark of 14, 98 meters, standing behind the Colombian Caterine Ibargüen.
And in 2020 Yulimar Rojas was named Athlete of the Year by World Athletics.
“I can’t believe it (…) I have no words. I am a bit surprised. I saw myself among the candidates for what we had done in the year, but not to win, “said Rojas shortly after learning of the World Athletics decision.
“Women can reach the top”
But her participation in Tokyo that catapults her as a superstar of world athletics confirms that the title of athlete of the year was well deserved.
From her first appearance in Tokyo, Rojas left no doubt that she would go far .
In fact, only needed one attempt to enter the final of the women’s triple jump setting the best record of the round classification, with a jump of 14, 77 meters, enough to advance comfortably.
“I entered the test very calmly and I had no problems qualifying, and now I’m thinking about the final,” said Rojas at that time.
“It’s something I want with all my heart, my focus is on the Olympic medal. I know there will be good results and it will be a real show ”, he added.
And in the end, his perseverance and his desire to win that medal to her country they paid off.
“I have always said that I wanted to be the first woman to get an Olympic gold medal In Venezuela. I have always kept it in mind, it has always been there latent in my heart and it is what has lifted me up every day, it is what has made me what I am, “said Rojas from Japan this Sunday.
“Women can reach the top and make history.”
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