track and field

Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas Demolishes Triple Jump World Record

Rojas won gold as part of a wild day at the Olympic Stadium

Check out video below

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Yulimar Rojas triple jumped into the history books at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium on Sunday.

The Venezuelan earned a gold medal in the women's triple jump final with a result of 15.67 meters, smashing a 26-year-old world record. Ukraine's Inessa Kravets had owned the world record of 15.50m since 1995.

The win gives the 6-foot-4 Rojas her second Olympic medal. She claimed silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics with a final mark of 14.98m.

Rojas, who had already clinched the gold medal before her record-setting jump, posted a final distance that was more than half a meter greater than the second-place result. Portugal's Patricia Mamona earned silver with a 15.01m result, while Spain's Ana Peleteiro took home bronze with a 14.87m result.

Keturah Orji was the lone American in the women's triple jump final. After finishing fourth at the Rio Games, she placed seventh on Sunday with a distance of 14.59m.

Rojas' win was part of a chaotic and unforgettable conclusion to Day 3 of track and field competition at the Tokyo Olympics. Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi decided to share gold in the men's high jump, while Italy's Lamont Jacobs shocked the globe by becoming the world's fastest man in the 100m final.

Contact Us