TOKYO, Japan – Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela bounded out to 15.67 meters with her last attempt of the competition to set a new world record in the women’s triple jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Sunday. She had already won the gold medal prior to breaking the world record.
Rojas who started the contest by breaking the Olympic record of 15.39m in the first round with a jump of 15.41m, confirmed her status as the best-ever in the event when she smashed the previous record of 15.50m which was set by Ukraine’s Inessa Kravets in 1995 in Sweden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBABF_q0G-A
The world record achievement in Tokyo on Sunday was well received by many of her fellow challengers who had watch the Venezuelan flirted around the previous mark for months leading up the Olympic Games.
“I am lost for words,” she said. “I can’t describe this feeling and this moment. Gold medal winner, with an Olympic record, and a world record.
“Wow! It is a fantastic night,” said Rojas, who became the first Venezuelan woman to win am Olympic gold medal.
“I was looking for it [the record], I knew we had that distance in my legs to get it today,” she added after adding gold to her silver medal from the Rio 2016 Games. “I was failing a bit in the technical aspect, but the last jump was one to give everything, and it was like that.”
Patricia Mamona of Portugal established a new national record of 15.01 meters to collect the silver medal, while Rojas’ training partner, Ana Peleteiro of Spain won bronze medal and also set a national record of 14.87m.
Rojas, the two-time world champion, was improving from the silver medal she won at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
“I focused on giving my best, enjoying, and it came out,” Rojas added. “It makes me happy. I have to enjoy it now, and live the experience.”
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