Yulimar Rojas, the triple jump Olympic champion, will not compete in the long jump at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon this month because the Venezuelan made the minimum mark with non-regulation shoes.
The international athletics federation reported Wednesday that Rojas’s jump at an athletic meet in Spain last month — which gave him World Cup qualification — “was not a valid result because he was wearing triple jump shoes and was not approved for the long jump.
The soles of long jump shoes must have a maximum thickness of 20 millimeters, while the limit for the triple jump is 25 millimeters.
Competing at the meeting in the Spanish city of Guadalajara, Rojas achieved a mark of 6.93 meters — a distance that would have given him the silver medal at the 2019 World Cup.
World Athletics, the governing body, explained in a statement that Rojas tried to compete in another fair to reach the minimum mark but an injury prevented him.
“We know this is disappointing for Mrs. Rojas and her many fans, but we look forward to seeing Mrs. Rojas compete in the triple jump at the Worlds and qualify for both events next year at the Worlds in Budapest.”
The 26-year-old Venezuelan is the reigning two-time triple jump world champion and has set a pair of world records in the past year.
Rojas broke the outdoor record with a record of 15.67 meters at the Tokyo Olympics last August. He also flew 15.74 meters at the indoor world championships in Belgrade last March.
The triple jump final is scheduled for July 18 at the world championships to be held in Eugene, Oregon, from July 15-24.
