Yulimar Rojas magnifies the Madrid rally

The Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, Olympic and world champion, in the triple jump test at the Madrid rally this Wednesday. JJGuillen (EFE)

It is the meeting in Madrid, the final of the winter circuit of the international federation, and, two weeks before the World Cup in Belgrade, Spanish athletics enjoys itself in the showcase that presides over, immense, Yulimar Rojas, her hair at one, purple, that proclaims the power of women in a mixed triple jump competition, mixed men and women, and she, in her first valid jump of the whole year, the second attempt, so fast, she jumps light and strong, an iron feather could say if it didn't seem like an impossible combination, and it doesn't brake or crash on the second impulse, and it reaches up to 15.35m.

As always, no one in the world has jumped as much as she has this year, nor ever, because two years ago she broke the indoor world record at Gallur itself, with 15.43m, and seven months ago, in Tokyo, she did it also outdoors (15.67m).

Calm down, calm down, she asks her after skipping over it to the fans who are exalted, that the best remains, Rojas seems to promise, so much almost childish joy, a challenge of goodness to the evil of the world.

Two nulls arrive.

"She counts the steps and enjoys, enjoys, enjoys," demands her coach, Iván Pedroso, before the fifth attempt.

Rhythmic clapping thunders her run, his surge, eleven counted, then a thirty-foot dash.

She picks up a board.

She jump, jump, jump.

She enjoys, enjoys, enjoys.

15.41m.

Two centimeters from her

record From her.

Let a hundred flowers bloom, Mao asked, and, when spring is almost here, Spanish athletics obeys, and from the tremendous density that it shows, competition arises and from it, the engaging duels, and the marks, and Mechaal that overwhelms Katir, and the two, among the best Europeans in the 3,000 meters, free themselves and fight, as they fight, at a higher speed, the four in the 800m, Álvaro de Arriba, Saúl Ordóñez, Adrián Ben and Mariano García, or, even more accelerated, the rhythm of Bolero, and percussion every four steps, the atomic hurdlers, Asier Martínez and Enrique Llopis, the same age, 21 years old, the same character, the same strength, and they are so equal in everything, and they admire each other so much, that only the

, the thousandths, separate them at the end.

First, the Navarrese Asier Martínez, the finalist in the Tokyo Games;

second, the Valencian Enrique Llopis.

The time: 7.56s.

Adel Mechaal can take advantage of his exhibitionist soul that makes him, shortly after breaking the European record of 3,000m (7m 30.82s) in New York, present himself at the Spanish championship and, after a tireless weekend, win the 1,500m and 3,000m tests absolutely, leaving no room for any debate.

And he arrives at the rally in Madrid thinking only of beating the Ethiopian Girma and proclaiming himself champion of the circuit, which would give him a $10,000 prize.

And thinking, of course, of overcoming Katir, the athlete who says that he is an athlete for wanting to imitate him, admires him so much, and for wanting to beat him, so much is his competitive nature.

double duel

Mohamed Katir is a sensitive man and he does not hide it.

His morale and his spirits rise and fall as the air moves, as other athletes breathe, as his sensations dictate, his shyness, and his bohemian heart that beat wildly for days after passing the covid a few years ago weeks.

He likes straight races, without conflicts, with hares that impose his order and that everyone accepts, and disciplined, he places himself behind the hares that set a pace of 2m 30s per kilometer.

The duel is double.

Spanish duel: Katir vs. Mechaal.

Ethiopian duel: Girma against Selemon Barega, the world king of the distance.

Katir interferes and discusses Barega's victory, such is his courage, and he accelerates and squeezes him, and dies in the attempt, since Barega is untouchable.

And he can neither with the Ethiopian nor can he resist the final attack of Mechaal, who was only looking for him, and marks his territory.

Barega (7m 43.03s) can with Girma (7m 34.09s);

Mechaal (7m 35.26s) can with Katir (7m 35.73s).

Mariano García tries to put on a bad face when, in the 800m presentation, the camera focuses on him, and he only manages to cross his eyes with a stubborn look.

The middle-distance runner from Cuevas de Reyllo, in the Cartagena course, who arrives with the best world record of the year, does not come out bad, but he looks at his Spanish rivals and says: “Yes, deep down, they are something and I am not I'm nothing: Ben is a world and Olympic finalist;

medalist

, and Álvaro is European champion…”.

And Mariano García is good in every way, he has a tremendous change of pace and shows it with 250 meters to go against the British Elliot Giles, whom he has already defeated twice this year.

But this one, already warned, resists the attack, waits with accelerated patience for the Murcian to yield, which happens, and beats him in the final stretch with a time of 1m 45.43s compared to 1m 45.82s of Mariano García, who He will arrive in Belgrade still with the best world record of the year, the 1m 45.12s he achieved in February in New York.

Behind, the others.

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