Gay sports ‘icon’ set to return at World Championships, two years after last competition

It may not be considered among the “blue riband” events of the World Athletics Championships, but fans of track and field will be paying close attention to the women’s triple jump competition in Tokyo, and Yulimar Rojas, this month.

Rojas is on the entry list for an event at the Worlds, which she has won four times before, alongside the Olympic gold medal she claimed in the same National Stadium in the Japanese capital four years ago.

Sporting bright pink hair, she also set the outdoor world record that day, leaping to 15.67 meters to break a mark that had stood since 1995.

However, in recent times, Rojas has been noticeable by her absence.

The 29-year-old Venezuelan superstar hasn’t officially competed since the Diamond League Final in Eugene in September 2023.

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Yulimar Rojas comes from behind to win fourth-straight outdoor World triple jump title
World record holder Yulimar Rojas needed her last jump to leap from last to first at the World Championships.

Seven months later, she was training in Spain when she landed awkwardly and learned later that she had ruptured her Achilles tendon.

Devastatingly, that injury kept her out of the Paris Olympics, denying her the chance to defend her crown.

This year, she has been gradually working her way back to fitness. In the Spanish city of Guadalajara, north-east of Madrid, she recently discussed the “anxiety” caused by such a difficult rehabilitation.

“Seeing other athletes jumping, having competitions going on, and not being able to attend, can cause a bit of emotional stress,” Rojas told Marca. “Thanks to my psychologist, my team, my family, my coach, my manager… I’ve managed to stay afloat.

“Everyone is wonderful and has helped me overcome those moments.”

@worldathletics CLUTCH Yulimar Rojas goes from 8th to the gold medal on her final attempt Full women’s triple jump final from the 2023 #WorldAthleticsChamps on our YouTube channel #athletics #sports #triplejump #venezuela #budapest ♬ original sound – WorldAthletics

Yulimar Rojas ‘focused’ as she prepares for comeback in Tokyo

It’s not just in track and field that the 6ft 4in athlete from Caracas has excelled.

Her strong support for LGBTQ rights has marked her out as a force for good on the world stage. Although less vocal in the last couple of years (her social media accounts have been very quiet during her recovery), she has made her mission for equality clear.

“My orientation, my sexuality has always been important to me and to my career. Since I started sports, I have always tried to fight for the ideologies and rights of women and the LGBT community,” Rojas told El Pais in February 2020.

“It is also a leap for love and life to be respected, the desire to love and to be loved is respected, and human rights to be valued every day.”

At the end of that year, she was named Outsports’ Female Athlete of the Year. She has also campaigned for equal marriage in Venezuela, although under authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro, that issue has slid off the radar as the crisis situation in the country becomes increasingly fractious.

It means Rojas’ presence back on the biggest stage is a huge boost, not only for the sport but also for national morale. The World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has been among those relishing her return.

“She’s an icon, and she draws an audience,” said Coe to Mundo Deportivo. “It’s very important that we have role models.”

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A post shared by Yulimar Rojas (@yulimarrojas45)

Rojas had been due to compete in a meeting in Guadalajara, Spain, last month but eventually skipped it due to reported muscle discomfort.

It means that the qualifying competition in Tokyo next Tuesday, Sep. 16, will represent her comeback, exactly two years to the day since she dominated in the Diamond League.

Should she safely make it through to the World Championships final two days later, her main rival will almost certainly be Cuba’s Leyanis Perez.

Perez, 23, is the only triple jumper to surpass 14.90 meters this season.

The reigning Olympic champion, Thea LeFond of Dominica, is expected to be in the mix, along with Jamaica’s Shaneika Ricketts, but Perez is the athlete in form.

However, you can never write off Rojas. She has seven world titles in total when you combine indoor and outdoor, and now has her sights set on an eighth.

“I’m excited, eager to represent my country and compete with the best of the season,” she added to Marca. “I know many people are looking forward to this moment as much as I am, and seeing it closer now motivates me even more; it keeps me focused.”

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The post Gay sports ‘icon’ set to return at World Championships, two years after last competition appeared first on Outsports.