Yulimar Rojas has grown used to dominance in the women's triple jump in recent years, but the Venezuelan world record holder arrived in Zurich under pressure as the Wanda Diamond League resumed after the World Championships last Thursday.
Despite having picked up two wins ahead of the championships in Oslo and Silesia, Rojas was still yet to secure qualification for the Wanda Diamond League Final and knew she needed another big performance to ensure a berth to Eugene on September 16-17th.
She was also coming off the back of a World Championships in Budapest where she won a record fourth world title, but never quite hit her usual imperious form. For much of the final in Hungary, Rojas looked set to lose her first global final since 2017, before she eventually dug deep to win the competition with a dramatic final jump.
So the triple jump queen had some scores to settle as she headed to Zurich, and she insisted that she knew something big was going to happen.
“From the minute I arrived here in Zurich, I was certain this was going to be a great competition – especially coming back from the World Championships where it wasn't all great,” Rojas said. “The crowd play a very important role here, because they help you to give it your best every time.”
The sold-out Letzigrund stadium certainly seemed to put the wind in Rojas' sails, as she cleared 15.00m with her very first jump and later improved to 15.15m. Another 15.15m effort in the Final 3 ensured that none of her competitors could get close to her, and Rojas had her third Diamond League win of 2023.
As well as a welcome return to form, it was also a victory which saw Rojas nail down qualification for the final in Eugene, where she will be hoping to win a third successive Diamond League title.
