While Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas (15.08m) secured a fourth-consecutive World title ahead of Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (15.00m) and Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez (14.96m), Jamaica's duo of Shaneika Ricketts and Kimberly Williams, as well as Dominican Thea Lafond, were left empty handed. 

It was heartbreak for the Caribbean which ended outside of the medals in a scintillating women’s triple jump competition that was worth savouring at the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Friday.

While Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas (15.08m) secured a fourth-consecutive World title ahead of Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (15.00m) and Cuban Leyanis Perez Hernandez (14.96m), Jamaica's duo of Shaneika Ricketts and Kimberly Williams, as well as Dominican Thea Lafond, were left empty handed. 

Ricketts (14.92m) and Lafond (14.90m), in particular, would have felt hard done, as their marks which were a season’s best and National Record, respectively, were not good enough on the day. Williams was seventh with a best jump of 14.38m.

There was an electrifying start to the event with the first four jumpers setting the tone for what was to come for the remainder of the event.

Ricketts opened at an initial season’s best 14.86m and Ukraine’s Bekh-Romanchuk, also opened at a season’s best 15.00m, while Cuba’s Perez Hernandez opened at 14.96m and Lafond rewriting Dominica’s National Record with a 14.71m leap to start.

That bettered the 14.62m Lafond achieved in qualifying.

As the competition progressed, the medal places continually switched hands with the women laying down marker after marker, with the Dominican and Jamaican going even further on their initial efforts. 

However, it was Rojas, like a true champion that shook off a shaky start to her series to cut the sand at the winning mark on her very last attempt.