“I depend a lot on my speed, so the plan is to get to the table as quickly as possible. We did it in Tokyo and it went well. I think it could be the key to the result I get at the Games,” Ana Peleteiro (Ribeira, 28 years old) told AS a few days before travelling to Paris. The “war athlete” as her coach, Iván Pedroso, calls her, ‘the Panoramix of the triple jump corridor’, has shown in the Paris 2024 qualification that she is ready for the big goal. The Galician already has an Olympic medal in her kit bag (bronze in Tokyo 2020) and is certain that none of the 29 triple jumpers she would face in the qualification are better than her when the competition is of the highest calibre. “What I like is competing,” she explains with a sparkle in her eyes.
Enlarge
Ana Peleteiro.JULIO MUÑOZEFE
In the purple corridor of the Stade de France, the reigning European champion wanted to be as minimal as possible in order not to lose an extra gram of strength for the final (Saturday, 20:20). If she could only do one ‘hop, step and jump’, better than two; and of course try not to have to do three. With the added mental pressure that would mean. The strength of her mind is one of Ana’s keys. “Having the pressure of being seen as a medal contender I like and it inspires me because it means that people trust me and my work. That’s why I shouldn’t handle it in a negative way, quite the opposite,” she says.
Opening jump. 8th position, group B. Ana begins her ritual. 14.36 (wind of -0.7; third longest jump among the twelve finalists). They asked for 14.35 for the capital Q. Perfect performance. Minimum effort for a prodigy like her. It was time to pack up. The work had been perfect. Without wearing out anything at all. A fleeting smile, a serious expression. Concentration. 24 hours to seek her second Olympic medal. The same day that the gymnast Ray Zapata, whose daughter Olympia is Ana’s goddaughter, will try to repeat his silver medal on the floor. As happened in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. That same day Peleteiro took the bronze and celebrated it with the champion Yulimar Rojas, absent in Paris. The throne is vacant.
Enlarge
Ana Peleteiro.Pawel KopczynskiREUTERS
“That was enough. Nothing else was needed, so I’m happy. I would have liked to have left less on the board, but I’ve done my homework. With the stadium full and this atmosphere on a court that I love, I felt like Taylor Swift, in black (laughs). With this atmosphere, I live it like a performance. In fact, I was a little nervous and the rhythm of the clapping helped me calm my heart rate and do what I had to do today, get into the final. Now it’s time to rest, continue to focus and listen to Iván,” said Ana in the mixed zone.
Finally, Peleteiro expressed her surprise at having the final so close to the qualification, where the best was the Cuban Leyanis Pérez (14.68): “It is the first time in history that the final is the next day and we are not used to it, but I think it is because Yulimar (Rojas) wanted to double the event and it was the quickest way to do it because it makes no sense. The length is usually followed by the final and this time they put a day in the middle. Maybe they made a mistake in writing it… It will be a challenge, but with Iván we have prepared it very well. In the final everything will go well”, said Ana in the mixed zone. “We always have to count on Ana in the important championships. She is extremely competitive and the pressure makes her bring out her best version”, warns the guru Pedroso.