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With the 2024 Paris Olympics lying on the brink of being just 3 months away, athletes are preparing with all their hearts to clinch a coveted spot at the summer games. But one of these athletes has found herself walking a tightrope between triumph and tragedy. For Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas, the road to the 2024 Paris Olympics was supposed to be paved with gold but a slight bothersome situation might cause things in the offing to change for her.

With dreams of defending her Olympic title dancing in her mind, she poured her heart and soul into her training. But the burning desire to make her country proud ended up in vain as a dastardly tumble might leave her dreams deferred.

Venezuela’s shattered Olympic dreams might just be a temporary setback

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To share the update on her Olympics performance, Yulimar Rojas took to her official Instagram account and shared a couple of pictures of herself. Alongside the pictures, she penned, To my Venezuela, to the Olympic and sports movement family, especially to my followers; I want to inform you that I will not be able to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

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In the track and field world, Yulimar Rojas has always been the major spectacle. The major reason behind this was undoubtedly her long list of achievements, including 4 World championship titles and two Olympic medals. Not only this, but also she is the current world triple jump record holder. As she had the heavy weight of expectations to defend her Olympic medal, she was undergoing an intense training regimen. However, fate had other plans in store for her.

A routine jump during training turned into a nightmare. “It is with great pain and sadness that I want to tell you that while I was training, I fell on the descent from a jump,” she revealed. With the fall came a searing pain that was later diagnosed as a left Achilles tendon injury. As the harsh reality of her instant injury sank in, she found herself plunged into a dark and uncertain abyss. But she wasn’t the only one with questions swirling in her mind.

Johnson’s words of encouragement

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As Yulimar Rojas penned a heartfelt note on her Instagram, it quickly garnered the attention of the sporting world. Within minutes of it being uploaded, the post reached Olympic and world champion athlete Michael Johnson. Upon reading the news, he couldn’t resist sharing his thoughts.

To encourage the Olympic athlete to regain her strength and mobility, he said, “The sad reality of being an Olympic athlete. Unlike other sports, there is no next year! You can be the greatest, but you must be the greatest on the day to be Olympic champion. But that’s also what makes it so special.” Though Rojas’ dreams may have been temporarily grounded, her priority at this moment is to recover. Now, the question is, will she be able to come back on track? Stay tuned to know!