By Chris Chavez
April 16, 2024
Reigning Olympic champion, four-time world champion and world record holder Yulimar Rojas will miss the Paris Olympics and will not be able to defend her title due to an Achilles tendon injury in practice.
Here’s what you need to know:
– Rojas announced the injury on Instagram with a photo from the hospital after undergoing surgery.
She wrote: “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 I was training when I fell on the descent from a jump I had intense pain that was diagnosed as an injury to the 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. These have been very complex hours, in which I have questioned myself and analyzed why this has happened, however, I understand that, in God's plans, We are only instruments of his will.
Today I feel very emotionally affected by not being able to represent Venezuela, the desire to defend my Olympic title excited me enormously but today I have to stop, understand this, recover and come back with great strength to continue flying together.
I want to thank my family, friends and my entire work team, who at this time have not separated from me trying to make me understand the complex situation I am going through. To all my sponsors and sports institutions in my country for all the support provided. I wish our Venezuelan delegation great success in Paris 2024, I am already very proud of you, and to my teammates on the court, may they do their best to also achieve glory. See you soon, with the same dreams and desire.”
– In Anderson Emerole’s latest video for The Final Leg, he unpacks how Yulimar Rojas resurrected the women’s triple jump in recent years. You can also listen to the latest episode in audio form on The Final Leg Podcast.
– Rojas broke the triple jump world record with a 15.67m leap at the Tokyo Olympics. That is still the farthest jump outdoors. She extended her world record with a 15.74m mark at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
– At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Rojas came up clutch and defended her gold medal with a 15.08m jump on her final attempt of the day. She wrapped up her season with a season’s best of 15.35m to claim the Diamond League trophy.
– Team USA’s Jasmine Moore had the second-farthest jump of 2023 with a 15.12m jump at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She turned professional before the world championships, where she finished 11th. No American woman has medaled in the triple jump at the Olympics. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Keturah Orji finished fourth.
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
