The “queen” of the triple jump, Yulimar Rojas, has been confirmed by the Venezuelan Olympic Committee as Venezuela’s flagbearer at the Olympic Games in France.

Rojas, who won Olympic gold for Venezuela at Tokyo 2020, announced that she would be pulling out of the Paris Games, which take place from 26 July to 11 August, due to an Achilles tendon injury sustained during training in Barcelona.

Despite her announcement in April, the athlete will still be in Paris, albeit in a different role. She will take part in the opening ceremony, carrying the Venezuelan flag alongside weightlifter Julio Mayora, who won silver in Japan.

“I am in a different phase of my sporting career,” the 28-year-old champion said at an event in Caracas with the Venezuelan delegation.

“God has a very big plan for me, I know that, I am destined to guide other athletes to pursue their dreams, to never give up,” added the Rio 2016 silver medallist.

Rojas is one of the greatest athletes in her country’s history and will be a significant loss for the Caribbean delegation in their quest for medals. In addition to her Olympic gold and silver medals, she holds seven world titles in the triple jump, four outdoor (2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023) and three indoor (2016, 2018 and 2022).

Venezuela will send 28 athletes to the Paris Games, compared to 43 (30 men and 13 women in 14 sports) at the 2021 Asian Games. The country won gold at Tokyo 2020 thanks to Rojas and also secured three silver medals from weightlifters Julio Mayora and Keydomar Vallenilla and BMX rider Daniel Dhers.

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