Athletics-Venezuela’s Rojas targets 16-metre triple jump

September 15, 2021

CARACAS (Reuters) – Yulimar Rojas, the Olympic triple jump champion and world record holder, has set her sights on breaching the 16-metre mark.

Venezuelan Rojas jumped 15.67 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and smashed the world record for the women’s triple jump on her last attempt in the final, after she had already secured the gold medal.

The previous record of 15.50 meters had been set by the Ukrainian Inessa Kravets in 1995.

“My work plan for next year is to try to jump above 15 meters, to remain established in these marks,” Rojas, who was born in Caracas, said in an interview with Reuters.

“Above 15.50 gives me stability and to reach 16 metres, it will be easier, so the 16 metres is the most important aspiration that I have,” added Rojas, who won silver at the Rio De Janeiro Games in 2016.

While the triple jump will always be important to her, she said she would turn some of her attention towards the long jump.

“So for next year we plan to train a little more and let the results speak for themselves,” she said.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago and Johnny Carvejal; Writing by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Toby Davis)

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