Yulimar Rojas at the 2015 Pan American Games (© Getty Images)
Yulimar Rojas, still just 20, has caught the eye this winter with a world-leading mark of 14.69m in January and then 14.63m last month, both competitions coming in Madrid but at different venues.
Without doubt, the Spanish capital’s helpful altitude was an advantage in the Venezuelan flying out to these prodigious distances but last year’s South American champion will go to Portland carrying her country’s hopes to get its first ever medal – and if it’s gold then she’ll also be the youngest ever winner in this event – in the history of the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Despite her international inexperience, she can at least draw on the knowledge of her coach, the famous Cuban long jumper Ivan Pedroso, who won at the IAAF World Indoor Championships on five consecutive appearances between 1993 and 2001.
“I’m still learning the event and I’m still very new to everything," said Rojas, who will be Venezuela's sole female athlete in Portland. "I only started with this event less than two years ago after being a high jumper and long jumper before that, but since I started working with Ivan at the start of last autumn it has made a huge difference.
“And yes, I’ll be picking his brains about the World Indoor Championships before going to Portland,” she joked.
A long way behind Rojas on the 2016 world indoor list, the next best entrant is Germany’s Kristin Gierisch, who has a best this year of 14.29m.
Other women who have jumped 14.20m or farther this winter are Ityna Vaskouskaya of Belarus, Greece’s Paraskevi Papahristou and Finland’s Kristiina Makela.
It’s highly likely that there will be some new names among the people climbing the podium in this event as none of the top five have ever won a World Indoor Championships medal before.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF
