World Champions Ibarguen and Rojas Cruise into Triple Jump Final

London, August 6th – As anticipated, the top contenders in the women’s triple jump event at the World Championships effortlessly advanced to the final round on Monday evening. Defending champion Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia and rising star Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela, widely regarded as the pre-competition favorites, easily surpassed the automatic qualifying mark to secure their spots in the medal round.

Ibarguen and Rojas Dominate Qualifying

Ibarguen, the two-time reigning world titleholder and reigning Olympic champion, soared to 14.21 meters with her opening attempt, reaching the automatic berth with a single centimeter to spare. “There are no doubts, I am aiming for a third world championships victory in London,” declared the confident 33-year-old. “Winning in Rio was great, but I am still hungry for more.”

The 21-year-old Rojas, Ibarguen’s most formidable challenger since the Colombian’s dominance began in 2013, registered the second-best jump of the qualification round. While she required a second leap to reach the final after an initial rust-shaking effort of 14.17 meters, Rojas ultimately sailed to 14.52 meters. “I’ll have to work hard to win in the final, but I will show that I am capable,” said the Venezuelan, the Olympic silver medalist behind Ibarguen last year.

Other Notable Performances

The longest jump of the day belonged to former Olympic champion Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan, who reached 14.57 meters on her opening attempt. “I was a little bit worried before today’s qualification as my current season was far from ideal, so I was surprised that I have managed to fulfill qualification in the first round,” the 32-year-old admitted.

With the qualifying standard set at a relatively modest 14.20 meters, the qualifying round saw no major upsets, as a total of 12 athletes booked their place in the final. Among them were two Portuguese jumpers, Susana Costa and Patricia Mamona, as well as two representatives from Jamaica, Shanieka Ricketts and Kimberly Williams.

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