The return of Yulimar Rojas
It’s been greater than a 12 months because the Triple Leap queen Yulimar Rojas serenaded us together with her spellbinding efficiency. The lengthy clap, savory runs and the hop, step and bounce that feels as clean as a pebble skipping throughout a peaceful lake was a sight that made followers cease, generally even drool and admire greatness.
Rojas isn’t any stranger to the highlight. She has dazzled followers together with her hovering jumps, incomes six world titles, an Olympic Gold, and the world document within the Triple bounce. However even for a champion, the highway isn’t at all times clean. The previous two years have examined her like by no means earlier than, and now, with 2025 on the horizon, she’s getting ready to rise once more.
The Highs of 2023
Rojas’s 2023 season was one other chapter in her storied profession. It kicked off in June, the place she claimed victory in Madrid and adopted it up with a win on the Oslo Diamond League. On the Central American Video games in San Salvador, she soared previous 15 meters, delivering a surprising 15.16m bounce. She then bettered that mark with 15.18m in Silesia, solidifying her dominance.
World Athletics Championships
Eugene, Oregon, USA
July15-26, 2022
triple bounce, girls, picture by Kevin Morris
In Monaco, Rojas briefly shifted her focus to the lengthy bounce, reaching 6.61m within the Diamond League. However her sights have been set on making historical past in Budapest. She aimed for her fourth consecutive world outside title within the triple bounce.
The ultimate in Budapest on August 25 was something however routine. Rojas struggled to search out her groove, sitting in eighth place after 5 rounds. Three fouls and subpar marks of 14.33m and 14.26m added to the stress. But, champions shine brightest underneath strain. On her remaining try, she rallied the group, took a deep breath, and unleashed a 15.08m bounce—sufficient to clinch gold by a mere eight centimeters. It was a heart-stopping second that reaffirmed her standing because the queen of the triple bounce.
The Fall of 2024
April 6, 2024, was a day Rojas would reasonably overlook. Whereas receiving a bounce in coaching, she injured her left Achilles tendon. The prognosis was devastating—she would miss the Paris Olympics. For the primary time in years, Rojas was sidelined, unable to defend her Olympic title or compete within the Diamond League Finals.
The harm was a blow, not simply to Rojas however to the game itself. Followers felt her absence deeply, as did the competitors. Thea Lafond of Dominica seized the chance, dominating the season and making her mark. However for Rojas, watching from the sidelines solely fueled her want to return stronger.
Rojas’s rehabilitation journey started in Spain. Ache, unhappiness, and doubt have been her preliminary companions, however she quickly discovered power in her religion and dedication. “In God’s designs, we’re devices of His will,” she stated, reflecting on her setback. Regardless of the heartbreak, she vowed to work tirelessly towards her comeback.
All through her restoration, Rojas stored her followers up to date by way of social media. In September, she marked a milestone—returning to the monitor after 5 and a half months. She posted a video of herself dancing, her pleasure and optimism shining by means of. “It’s been a time of onerous work and challenges, but additionally of infinite religion,” she wrote.
Eyes on 2025
With 2024 within the rearview mirror, Rojas is laser-focused on 2025. The indoor season will mark her official return, and expectations are sky-high. “You’re the architect of your personal future,” she not too long ago stated, emphasizing her dedication to carving her path again to greatness.
The highway forward gained’t be straightforward. Getting back from an Achilles harm is a fragile course of, requiring not solely bodily rehabilitation but additionally psychological fortitude. But when anybody can do it, it’s Rojas. Her story is one in every of grit and an unwavering perception in her potential to soar once more.
The competitors will likely be fierce. Lafond and different rising stars have proven their mettle. But Rojas has at all times thrived underneath strain, and her comeback guarantees to be nothing wanting spectacular. She’s not simply aiming to compete—she’s coming to reclaim her throne. In actuality, there isn’t any match for her.
A Legacy Past Medals
Past the runway, Rojas has already left an indelible mark. In 2023, she based the Yulimar Rojas 45 Basis, devoted to supporting younger athletes. Her mission is to encourage the subsequent era, exhibiting them that success comes from onerous work, self-discipline, and believing in themselves. Via her basis, she’s working to create alternatives for youth in danger, a trigger near her coronary heart.
Now that 2025 is underway, followers are counting down the times till Rojas makes her grand return. Her journey reminds us all that setbacks are only a bump within the highway. Her comeback guarantees to be one for the ages, proving but once more why she’s the queen of the triple bounce. And when she takes to the runway, count on her to leap, hop, and bounce as easily as a kite hovering effortlessly on a gentle breeze—reaching new heights and provoking hundreds of thousands, one bounce at a time.
