Reigning Olympic women's triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas announced Friday that she will miss the Paris Games due to an Achilles tendon injury. The 28-year-old Venezuelan said he ruptured his Achilles tendon during a training jump in Spain and underwent surgery in Madrid on Thursday.
“My heart is broken. I am sorry that I will not be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Games,” Rojas said on her social media account.
“I felt severe pain after landing from a training jump. I was diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon,” Rojas said in a statement accompanied by a photo of her in a hospital bed.
Rojas won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and later won the Olympic title at the 2021 Tokyo Games, which were postponed due to the coronavirus. She dramatically won her fourth of her outdoor world titles last year in Budapest, moving up from eighth place with a final-round leap. Her jump of 15.08 meters put her within the gold medal range.
Rojas is also the world record holder in this event with a jump of 15.74 meters in 2022. She was named the world's best athlete in women's field competition last year and would have been the favorite to retain her title at the Paris Olympics.
“Today I am very emotionally shocked that I could not defend my Olympic title… But I have a lot of strength to stop, accept it, recover and continue flying together. I have to come back with this,” Rojas said in a message to her fans.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26th to August 11th.
In Venezuela, Rojas is a national heroine. Her face is depicted in giant frescoes, her photo adorns many walls, and commercials featuring the star athlete are often seen on television. She is the only woman and only track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Venezuela, which has three male champions in other sports.
Among them, Ruben Limardo, fencing gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, said Roxas continues to provide inspiration to the country ahead of the Paris Olympics.
“Every time we take a step, Yuri, we do so knowing that you are with us, body, mind and spirit. Warrior, you can rise and fly again,” he said. Told.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro added: “We extend our love, unity and support to you. We love you and we know your dedication and discipline. You are a warrior for life and a role model for young people. ” he added.
Rojas, based in Spain, emerged from an underprivileged neighborhood in Puerto La Cruz, about 300 kilometers from the capital Caracas.
“We raised Yuri in this small world with so many problems. She stood up, she stood up, she stood up…” her mother, Yureisi Rodriguez, told AFP in an interview ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. he proudly recalled his mother, Yureisi Rodriguez.
