Rojas has dominated the triple jump since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Yulimar Rojas, the defending Olympic triple jump champion and world record holder from Venezuela, announced Friday that he will miss the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris due to an Achilles tendon injury.
According to Rojas' Instagram, the injury occurred while training in Spain. She underwent surgery on Thursday.
“My heart is breaking and I am very sad. I would like to apologize for not being able to participate as a representative at the 2024 Paris Games,” Rojas wrote. “I was so excited about my desire to defend my Olympic title, but today I have to stop, understand this, recover and come back with a lot of strength to continue flying together.”
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The triple jump has been a personal playground for Rojas since he first found success on the world stage with a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. In 2017, she won her first of her four World Outdoor Championships, including winning the world title last year.
Her first Olympic gold medal came three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, where she dominated the competition and etched her name in the record books with her final jump. Her record of 15.67 meters set a world record, making her the first woman to jump over 51 feet in this event.
At the 2022 Indoor World Championships in Belgrade, she improved her world record to 15.74 meters and won her second indoor world title.
Outside of the pit, she was awarded World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year and Outsport LGBTQ Female Athlete of the Year in 2020.
We will all miss watching her compete in Paris.
