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Yerilda Alexandra Zapata Rodríguez (born 3 January 1998) is a Venezuelan athlete who specializes in discus throw. She set the Venezuelan national junior records in both discus and shot put.

Early life

Yerilda Alexandra Zapata Rodríguez was born in Anzoátegui, Venezuela, on 3 January 1998 to Yuliesy Rodríguez and former boxer Pedro Zapata. She was raised in a ranchito (shack, lit. 'little ranch') in the Altavista area (compared to a favela) of Pozuelos, near Puerto la Cruz, where her father worked in the oil industry. She is one of six siblings, and her elder half-sister is triple jumper Yulimar Rojas. She has been trained by Ramón Salazar since 2008.

Career

Zapata competed in discus and shot put at the 2011 South American School Games, where she won the gold medal in discus with a throw of 35.24 m (115 ft 7+1⁄4 in), and the silver medal in shot with a put of 13.82 m (45 ft 4 in). At the 2012 Venezuelan School Games, Zapata competed in the U14 discus and javelin. In the former event she won gold with a throw of 33.72 m (110 ft 7+1⁄2 in), and in the latter she took silver with a 30.80 m (101 ft 1⁄2 in) throw.

In the U17 special of the South American Championships in Athletics in July 2014, which was also the South American qualifiers for the 2015 World Youth Championships in Athletics, Zapata took the gold in discus with a throw of 42.94 m (140 ft 10+1⁄2 in).

She then competed in both discus and 8 × 100 metres relay at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, and discus at the 2015 World Youth Championships, throwing a personal best of 44.80 m (146 ft 11+3⁄4 in). She came second at the 2015 Central American and Caribbean School Games, throwing 42.72 m (140 ft 1+3⁄4 in) in the discus, and took bronze at the 2015 Ibero-American Junior Championships in Athletics.

She won the gold in discus at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Venezuelan National Championships. In August 2020 she participated in a Royal Spanish Athletics Federation control event in León, Spain, winning the women's discus with a best distance of 48.61 m (159 ft 5+3⁄4 in).

Zapata's ambition is to go to the Olympic Games and, with Rojas, become the first siblings to win medals for Venezuela, something which Rojas has also expressed a desire to achieve.

Personal bests

Source:

• Shot put: 12.60 m (41 ft 4 in) (2017)
• Shot put (3 kg): 14.10 m (46 ft 3 in) (2015)
• Discus throw: 48.61 m (159 ft 5+3⁄4 in) (2020)

Records held

• Venezuelan junior record in women's discus throw (since 2015)
• Venezuelan junior record in women's shot put (since 2015)

References

1. ^ Corrales, Juan Andrés (22 December 2015). "Zapata buscará mantenerse en la élite de su generación". El Tiempo (in Spanish). p. 26. Retrieved 4 August 2021 – via Issuu.
2. "Club Tacariguas brilla en la Liga de Atletismo de Venezuela" (in European Spanish). 18 September 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
3. ^ "Olympedia – Yerilda Zapata". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
4. "Otra brillante actuación de Levaggi". 0223 (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
5. "Dios salve a la reina: Venezuela espera ver coronada a Yulimar Rojas en Tokio-2020". France 24 (in Spanish). AFP. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
6. ^ Devaney, Andy. "With 'Perfect' Jump, World Record-Holder Yulimar Rojas Marks Beginning Of New Era". Sustain Health Magazine. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
7. "Lanzamiento de disco – Femenina – Atletismo". Juegos Sudamericanos Escolares 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
8. "Colombia obtuvo segundo oro en atletismo". Juegos Sudamericanos Escolares 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
9. "Yerilda Alexsandra Zapata Rodríguez". Juegos Sudamericanos Escolares 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
10. "▷ #Deportes: Jhoanmy Luque con buen salto". El Impulso (in Spanish). 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
11. "Atletismo: Uruguay y las fernandinas brillaron en Colombia; Aldana Machado y Jennifer Silva son de oro!". La Prensa (in Spanish). 21 July 2014.
12. "Start List: Discus Throw Girls" (PDF). IAAF. 2015.
13. "Atletas mexicanos, con 13 oros en juegos centroamericanos y del Caribe". SinEmbargo MX (in Spanish). 23 November 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
14. "Festival Ibero Americano – 06/06/2015 Sub 18" (PDF). Fed Mx de Asoc Atletismo Athletic Club (in Spanish). 6 June 2015.
15. "Cova y Genesis Romero lucen en el Nacional de Venezuela". Atletismo Sudamericano (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
16. ^ "Yerilda Alexandra ZAPATA | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
17. "Gerson Izaguirre fue protagonista en el Nacional de Venezuela". Atletismo Sudamericano (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
18. "Control RFEA de Lanzamientos-CEARD Leon" (PDF). RFEA. 22 August 2020.
19. "Yulimar Rojas va por el oro en Tokio 2020". Meridiano (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
20. "Yulimar espera a su hermana". Qué Pasa (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 August 2021.

• 1998 births
• Living people
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
• Sportspeople from Anzoátegui
• Venezuelan female discus throwers
• Venezuelan female shot putters
• 21st-century Venezuelan women