Cuba's Leyanis Pérez Hernández equalled the world lead to retain her triple jump title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 on Saturday (21).

Soaring an indoor PB of 14.95m in the second round, she matched the best mark in the world so far this year that had been set by world record-holder Yulimar Rojas last month. The Venezuelan star continued her comeback by securing silver this time with a best of 14.86m.

Senegal's Saly Sarr had the performance of her life for bronze, jumping 14.70m to get her first global medal.

Pérez Hernández continued her tradition of achieving her best performances on the biggest stages – leaping indoor PBs of 14.90m for silver in Glasgow, 14.93m for gold in Nanjing and now 14.95m for gold in Kujawy Pomorze.

The 24-year-old, who also got gold at the World Championships in Tokyo last year, opened her series with 14.88m. That would have been enough to retain her crown but she flew seven centimetres farther in the next round, followed by 14.49m, 14.77m and two fouls.

Rojas responded in the fourth round with 14.86m, while Sarr also achieved her best from her fourth attempt.

Liadagmis Povea finished fourth and Olympic champion Thea LaFond fifth.

“We knew that the first attempt had to be strong and, well, that's what I did,” said Pérez Hernández.

“Overall, today didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped, but it was enough to bring the gold medal home. The top three of us delivered a truly brilliant and intense competition so I had no choice but to give everything in every attempt.

“I always told my mum that, if this second gold medal came, I'd go back to my home province to celebrate with my people. I've never said it publicly before but now I will go there to celebrate this victory.”

After injury struggles, Rojas returned to action exactly two years after her previous competition – getting bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo. She went one better in Toruń, adding another silver to her current career haul of 11 global medals – eight of them gold.

“It has been a beautiful evening with such a lovely crowd who came out here to see and support us,” said the 30-year-old, who set the world record of 15.74m when winning the third of her world indoor titles in Belgrade in 2022. “We are going to continue to work hard, with a lot of people supporting us throughout the process.

“I am especially excited about the next stage – starting afresh, building things again after everything we have had to get through to get here. Year after year, challenge after challenge, always trying to return to the best of ourselves, to that athlete that I have always been, making people happy. And above all, being happy doing what I love.”

Joining them on the podium was African champion Sarr, who became Senegal's second world indoor medallist after Kéné Ndoye who also got triple jump bronze in 2003.

In her first year of indoor competition, the contest in Kujawy Pomorze was only the third indoor competition of Sarr’s career so far.

Jess Whittington for World Athletics

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