PARIS.- Twenty months after her last competition, the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojasseriously injured in April 2024, left this Sunday during his return to the clues in the discipline of long jump during the I Trophy City of Salamanca, after making four null attempts.
“This is an important first step, I already wanted to return. I am happy to return. Now, you have to continue working and improving to meet again. Thank you all for the beautiful wishes and for accompanying me,” he published on the social network X after his abandonment.
The legend of the triple jump, Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, returned to compete between great expectation for the first time since September 2023, when he participated in the last meeting of the Diamond League in Eugene (United States).
In the 2024 Olympic year, with an eye on a double long jump-triple jump, the Venezuelan resigned from the covered track competitions to concentrate in Paris, but an injury to the Achilles tendon of the left foot, suffered during a training, forced the 29-year-old athlete to pass through the operating room in April already say goodbye to the games.
Yes, he appeared with the ‘Vinotinto’ delegation at the Paris 2024 opening ceremony and in September he published a video on social networks announcing his return to training. Since then, away from the media spotlights until last week, his return date was still unknown.
After announcing his participation in the Salamanca competition and his renovation with the Athletics section of FC Barcelona, the expectation was triggered again, more taking into account that Rojas could still achieve ‘in extremis’ the classification to the world of covered track.
Physical discomfort
“Today we fly again,” he published on the social network X hours before his return.
On the tracks Carlos Gil Pérez, the Venezuelan was the most applauded by an audience eager to see her again in action.
The last time Rojas had competed in long jump was in July 2023, during the Mónaco meeting of the Diamond League. Its best approved brand in this discipline is 6.88 m reached in 2021, while on covered track, its best brand is 6.81 m established in 2022.
This Sunday, after making three null jumps hurrying to the maximum on the line, Rojas continued the race towards the pit during the fourth attempt and later retired.
The Salamanca gazette, local reference medium, reported that abandonment could be due to physical discomfort, since the Venezuelan “touched the left thigh.”
“Although the presentation of Rojas in the length of length resulted in four null attempts, the real triumph was somewhere else: Yulimar has competed again,” said his team in the networks.
The final victory was for the Spanish Carmen Rosales with 6.39 m, two weeks after having proclaimed champion of Spain of the discipline. The Portuguese Evelise Veiga (6.27 m) and Cuban Hayla González (6.19 m) completed the podium.
