The New World Record Holder of the Triple Jump and Venezuela’s First Female Gold-Medallist: Yulimar Rojas’s Inspiring Journey

“Nothing good comes in life or athletics unless a lot of hard work has preceded the effort. Only temporary success is achieved by taking short cuts.”

-Roger Staubach

Born in 1995, Yulimar Rojas is a Venezuelan athlete who competes in the long jump and triple jump events. Rojas was born into a low-income family and grew up in a shack on a farm with little access to nutritious food and medical resources. She began playing volleyball as a child and wanted to pursue it further but couldn’t as her local sports club had no team. Her coach noticed her potential in athletics and got her involved in high jump, hurdles and track at the age of 11.  

Competitive career

Rojas had her first competitive jumping success at the 2011 South American Junior Championships, where she won the high jump. Due to this win, she received her first spike shoes from the Venezuelan Athletics Federation (FVA). In 2014, she won a gold medal in the high jump at the South American Games, earning her first senior medal. Since 2015 she has been coached by Cuban long jumper Iván Pedroso and under his guidance, went on to win gold medals in the 2015 South American Championships and the 2016 World Indoor Championships in triple jump.

Her success in 2015-16 qualified her for the Rio Olympics, where she won a silver medal and became the first female athlete from Venezuela to win an Olympic medal in history. She has followed this historic achievement by winning a silver medal at the 2017 South American Championships and claimed the World Championship title in the same year to become the first Venezuelan world champion in history. In 2018, she won the World Indoor Championship, the 2019 Pan American Championships, and the World Championships for the second time in 2019, according to Wikipedia. 

Along with her impressive medal record, she has 4 national records in long jump and triple jump, 4 South American records in triple jump (indoor and outdoor); high jump and long jump, 1 Pan American record in triple jump, and two world records in triple jump to her name. Rojas was also named the Female Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, an accomplishment no Venezuelan has achieved before, says International Women’s Day.

Tokyo Olympics historic victory

In 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, Rojas won gold in the women’s triple jump event and set a new world record. Her golden victory is not only her first Olympic gold; it is Venezuela’s first gold in any athletic event at the Olympics and the country’s only third gold overall. Yulimar Rojas is also the first female Olympic gold medallist from Venezuela, inspiring young girls worldwide and setting an example of strength, dedication, and perseverance.

#GCPWishesYulimarRojas #GCPAWishesOlympians

Team Global Child Prodigy Congratulates Yulimar Rojas for winning Gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This will inspire millions of people worldwide, including children who aspire to be like her. 

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