article by Nicola Pucci
Before the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics open, Colombia’s gold medal tally in the more than one hundred year history of the Games boasts only two successes: that of the weightlifter Maria Isabel Urrutia in Sydney 2000, and the encore granted by Mariana Pajon in BMX in London in 2012.
In Brazil, in one fell swoop, Colombia manages to win three gold medals in a single edition. Between these, Caterine Ibarguen’s victory in the women’s triple jump gives the South American country its first success in athleticsalthough this is certainly not a surprise.
La Ibarguen, in fact, already has a well-stocked showcase of cups and trophies, if it is true that she won the last two world titles, in Moscow in 2013 beating the Russian Koneva and the Ukrainian Saladucha, and in Beijing in 2015 beating the Israeli Minenko and the Kazakh Rypakovaafter being third in Daegu in 2011 behind Saladucha and Rypakova, as well as she finished the London 2012 Olympic competition on the second step of the podium, once again overtaken by Rypakova but ahead of Saladucha.
In Rio, therefore, Ibarguen is the first favorite for the title also by virtue of having scored the best measurement of the season with 15.04 metersfollowed by the Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, 15.02 meters, and the Greek Paraskeuī “Voula” Papachristou, 14.73 metres, who are two other authoritative candidates for the podium, obviously together with Olga Rypakova, ready to repeat the London success of four years earlier. Olga Saladucha is also competing, even if she has been missing from a major international event since the European Championships in Zurich in 2014 which saw her wear the third consecutive gold medal around her neck, while Portuguese Patricia Mamona is the outgoing continental champion and together with Hanna Viktorivna Knjazjeva-Minenko she cultivates the ambition of occupying one of the top three positions.
The qualifiers will take place on August 13th Nilton Santos Stadiumwith the entry measurement for the final set at 14.30 metres, which was easily reached on the first jump by Ibarguen who landed at 14.52 metres. Only two other athletes qualify directly to the final stage, namely Papachristou who lands at 14.43 meters on her second attempt and Rypakova who does the same, reaching 14.39 meters. The other competitors are fished out, and among these there is no Saladucha, now completely decommissioned and which does not go beyond a triple leap to 13.97 metres. Mamona, Minenko and Rojas advance in turn, while among the twelve finalists there are also the German Kristin Gierisch, the Finnish Kristiina Mäkelä, the two Americans Kimberly Williams and Keturah Orji, the Polish Anna Jagaciak-Michalska and the second Portuguese of the lot, Susana Costa.
The next day, August 14th, we start with two medal jumps by Rypakova and Orji, at 14.73 meters and 14.71 meters respectively, with Ibarguen taking third place with 14.65 metres. But on her next attempt the Colombian exceeds the 15 meter mark, flying at 15.03 metres., and this will already be a measure forbidden to the opponents. On the third jump Rojas earned second place with 14.87 meters, then improved to 14.98 meters which finally earned her the silver medal.
In the meantime Ibarguen, also on her fourth jump, sets the seasonal record with 15.17 metres and definitively secures the victory, with Rypakova improved by one centimetre, 14.74 metres, and secured the bronzewith Orji unable to improve the jump with which she entered the competition (nevertheless an American record) and relegating her to fourth place.
Caterine Ibarguen is Olympic champion and seals her dominance in the triple jump which has now been solid for at least three years. When they say, let the best man win…