Caterine Ibargüen won the first Colombian medal at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China. The leaping lady yet again held the triple jump title with a winning mark of 14.90 metres in her fourth jump of the day
Behind Ibargüen, the Israeli Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko took the silver medal with a jump of 14.77, and Kazakh Olga Rypakova completed the podium, taking bronze. Colombian Yosiris Urrutia finished in tenth place with 14.09.
Thirty one-year-old Ibargüen, from Apartado, Antioquia, won her 29th triple jump event in a row, but this was one of the special ones: “I worked hard to make great jumps, today wasn’t the best distance but I consider this an excellent day. I am very satisfied and grateful. I am very happy with the crowd and happy with the stadium, that is on a very high level. I did what I could today and that resulted in great things.”
Ibargüen, who won the first ever gold medal for Colombia in a world cup athletics tournament in Moscow two years ago, and already has the second gold, continued, “I am satisfied I can bring this medal back to Colombia, it opens up a road for athletics. The materials are there, I know everyone is going to work hard and I know that, in the future, we will win more medals for Colombia.”
Less than a year from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro her goals haven’t changed. Breaking the 15.50 metres world record that has been in Ukrainian hands since 1995 and the ultimate goal, the Olympic gold medal in Rio, are still driving everyday life for Colombia’s golden girl.
By Freek Huigen
