The Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas , author of the best jump, this Friday, in the Monaco triple contest but second classified for having failed in the last one, called the format used in the Diamond League “absurd and ridiculous” .
Rojas, world indoor record holder and double world champion, had dominated the Monegasque competition until the fifth round with a mark of 15.12 meters, but the final victory is disputed, according to the regulations, the first three in a sixth and last jump.
In that sixth round Yulimar landed beyond the world record of the Ukrainian Inessa Kravets (15.50), but her foot invaded the plasticine three centimeters and the jump was declared void, hence the victory was for the Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts, the only one of the three finalists who made a valid jump in the round for the title (14.29).
“I try to understand the benefit of this new competition format and I am also curious to know who created it. It does not make any sense, it is very absurd and ridiculous,” the Venezuelan commented on social networks.
Yulimar explained it with an example: “It is as if in a basketball game three periods of time were played and in the last one everything will start again from zero regardless of the amount of points accumulated throughout the game.”
“It’s actually illogical,” she added, “although I know that I am a high-performance athlete and I have to work according to any new rules but it is not fair to any of the competitors.”
After declaring herself “happy” with her performance in Monaco, she concluded: “We were interested in jumping without thinking about anything else and with our eyes on Tokyo, I am convinced that everything is on the right track.”