BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Down to her last jump and her rhythm uncharacteristically off, Yulimar Rojas gave herself an animated pep talk.
Something the Venezuelan triple jumper muttered finally sank in. Because Rojas turned into the version of Rojas everyone knows so well — the one who wins everything in sight.
Rojas jumped 15.08 meters (49 feet, 5 3/4 inches) on her sixth and final attempt Friday night to rally for her fourth straight title at world championships. Add in her Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games and that makes her 5 for 5 in major meets since 2017.
The 27-year-old Rojas is as close to automatic these days as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was in his heyday.
Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk finished runner-up to earn the first medal for Ukraine in Budapest. Bekh-Romanchuk was in the lead most of the night courtesy of a big opening jump of 15 meters (49-2 1/2). Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba took bronze.
For quite a while, this contest looked wide open with Rojas, the world record holder, not able to figure out her proper sequence of steps. She kept talking and talking to herself, but nothing she uttered seemed to click.
Until that last attempt.
With the jump clock on the side winding down, Rojas flew down the runway, took a hop, step and then took off. Rojas waited for the measurement and when her name moved to the top of the leaderboard, tapped her heart in appreciation as the crowd clapped.
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