In Brussels
At just 22 years of age, Ukraine’s high jump superstar Yaroslava Mahuchikh is mature way beyond her age.
Unbeaten outdoors this season, Mahuchikh bagged Olympic gold in Paris last month, just days after soaring over 2.10 metres for a new world record, again in the French capital, at the Stade Charletey during the Paris Diamond League meeting.
The 2.09m mark was one of the most difficult world records to beat in athletics, especially given that it had stood for 37 years – set some 15 years before Mahuchikh was born (her canoeist father and athlete mother had probably not even met!) – since Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova soared over the mark at the 1987 World Athletics Championships in Rome.
What’s mind-blowing is the fact that Mahuchikh just keeps winning and breaking records despite constantly worrying about the relentless Russian assault on her home nation, Ukraine, where her parents and family still live.
Ukraine’s flamboyant, brave and relentless President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) welcomes World Athletics President Seb Coe to the Presidential Palace in Kyiv on Friday, June 28
Moscow attacks
At the Paris Diamond League in July, Mahuchikh had to endure a roller-coaster of emotions over a 24-hour period, first celebrating her world record, then, hours later, mourning after a Russian ballistic missile attack on a hospital in the city of Poltava.
Moscow’s attacks via two missiles also struck a communications centre, killing 51 people and injuring over 200 others.
“As Ukrainians we are strong and we don’t want to give up in any situation… I jump for my people, I jump for Ukrainians,” young Mahuchikh said here on Wednesday at a press gathering ahead of this weekend’s Allianz Memorial Van Damme the 2024 Diamond League Final.
“People write to me congratulating me and saying I do great for my country and for my people, and that’s my motivation to compete…”
She fights back tears as she recalls the roller-coaster of emotions in July: “I had one day to be happy (after the world record) and the next day I cried (after the attack on the children’s hospital)… It was really difficult but I won the Olympic gold medal after that and it was a good result for me.”
Basing most of her training in Belgium, around Heusden-Zolder, due to the unrest in Ukraine, Mahuchikh always recalls her first major win at the 2017 World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, an event she confirms shaped her elite jumping career.
Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh after winning the high jump gold at the 2022 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia
Nairobi stage
At just 15 at the time, fresh-faced and having to field media questions in Russian through a translator (media delegate Olaf Brockmann), Mahuchikh was introduced to the global stage after clearing 1.92 metres to take the WU18 gold ahead of Poland’s Martyna Lewandowski (1.82) and German Lavinja Jurgens (1.79).
“I’m still young but I hope to compete at the European Championships in Berlin and the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” she reflected at the time at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
A lot has happened since Kasarani, with the Ukrainian star taking bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021 (2.0m) and is already a two-time European champion (1.95m in Berlin 2022 and 2.01m in Rome last June) besides her world record and Olympic gold in Paris.
And she doesn’t need Olaf’s translations any more as she now commands impeccable English. And she recalls Nairobi vividly…
“Nairobi is an important place for me,” Mahuchikh told ‘Pura Vida Sports Africa’ at Brussels’ Double Tree by Hilton Hotel on Wednesday afternoon.
“The world junior championships (in Nairobi) really gave me the understanding that I can continue with this career and it started my preparations for the Olympic Games.
“My coach always says Nairobi gave me the experience with the crowd because Nairobi was a big stadium and the fans were so loud and it made me know that (despite the noise) I can focus on my jump and jump good.”
Last year, Mahuchikh made a return to Nairobi for the third Absa Kip Keino Classic, winning the jump in 2.00m on May 13.
She reckons that she will certainly be back again to the Kenyan capital: “Of course! One day I will come back to Nairobi again… I came back last year for the Kip Keino Classic, so see you again!”
Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh competes at the 2023 Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi
Back to Ukraine
After the close of the season, Mahuchikh plans a one-week holiday to recover and will also travel back home to Ukraine to reunite with the family, even with the dangers that lurk in Kyiv.
“I feel that I need it (one week holiday), and after that I will go to my home. Of course it’s dangerous, and there’s no safe place in Ukraine at the moment,” she reacted.
“But my parents, my friend are there and I want to spend time with them… I was there last year in October.”
After the Paris Olympics, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called up Mahuchikh to congratulate her and celebrated her success again during Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24.
“He congratulated every Olympic champion and said several words of congratulations to me.”
On June 28 this year, on Ukraine’s Constitution Day, World Athletics President Seb Coe travelled with Ukraine and held discussions with President Zelenskyy, also taking the opportunity to meet with country’s young and elite athletes.
Coe noted that over 500 sports facilities in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed during the ongoing Russian aggression, several of which he visited during his time in the country.
The WA President noted that there’s only one indoor athletics arena standing, with the impact on Ukraine’s infrastructure having made it extremely difficult for athletes at all levels in the sport to train and compete.
Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh during an interview at the 2017 World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi
Jump technique adjustments
Mahuchikh jumped a world junior record 2.04m in September, 2019, at the Doha World Championships in 2019 for silver behind neutral (Russian) athlete Mariya Lasitskene, and that’s when she knew the 2.09m world record, then, was probably a low-hanging fruit.
“When I jumped 2.04m in Doha, I thought ‘it is possible’ (to break 2.09m) and I knew one day I will break this record because I have a great coach and support from a family who believe in me, and, of course, I’m in the (kit sponsors) Puma family where there are world record holders and I wanted to be in their company.”
Ahead of the world record and Olympic gold in Paris, Mahuchikh’s coaches (Tetiana Stepanova and Serhii Stepanov) made adjustments to her run-up, adding some two more steps in her approach to gain her extra momentum.
“We changed my runway and added two steps, because before, I had nine steps of running and now its 11 which gives me more speed in my arc so that I can take off in the right position and this brought the world record – My coach says I should do the same thing here on Saturday to break the world record again!”
Inspiration to jump
Mahuchikh’s inspiration is to keep winning to prove to the world that even with the current challenges back home in Ukraine, one can get the motivation to keep performing well.
“I want to keep winning medals. I don’t want to be a one-time Olympic champion, but to win two times, three times… I want to prove to the world that challenges that come your way only push you to achieve your goal.”
Which one, between the world record and Olympic gold does Mahuchikh hold more dearly?: “Both, but probably the Olympic gold more because the world record will be broken someday, but you will always be Olympic champion.”
The 22-year-old envisages a tough competition at the season-ending Brussels Diamond League final on Saturday.
“The competition will be big because all the girls are looking to end the season on a high, and they are ready to show good results, but I’m ready to show my best because I’m pushing to win my third Diamond League diamond (a small diamond is awarded to overall discipline winners at the end of each Diamond League season).”
She was excited watching the 100m challenge between world record holders, Swede Mondo Duplantis (pole vault) and Norwegian Karsten Warholm (400m hurdles) on the eve of last week’s Zurich Diamond League meeting, describing the innovation as good for athletics.
“It was good for the sport because it created a lot of debate on social media and people were betting on who would win finally – it was interesting to watch.”
Duplantis won the race in 10.37 seconds with Warholm clocking 10.47.
Would Mahuchikh herself fancy competing in a similar match-up?: “My manager says ‘don’t even think about it!’ But it would be fun to try the hurdles!”
World Athletics President Seb Coe (third from right) visits some of the sports venues destroyed by the Russian invasion in Kyiv on Friday, June 28, 2024. PHOTO _ WORLD ATHLETICS
Diamond League Final
The Allianz Memorial Van Damme here will be run over two days on Friday and Saturday with the first 16 of the 32 Diamond disciplines to be contested on the first day of and the rest on Saturday in the Belgian capital.
In the women’s high jump, all four women who stood on the high jump podium in Paris – Mahuchikh, silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers and joint bronze medallists Eleanor Patterson and Iryna Gerashchenko – will renew their rivalry in Brussels.
Mahuchikh has been undefeated outdoors this year.
The Ukrainian’s winning streak includes the 2.10m world record she set at the Diamond League meeting in Paris in July.
Since winning Olympic gold in the French capital, Mahuchikh went on to win in Lausanne and Zurich.
Belgian is famous for its mouth-watering chocolates and the Ukrainian star, banned from the sweet stuff and junk food during the competitive season, just can’t wait to end her season on Saturday and indulge in copious amounts of the Flemmish delicacies! (Additional reporting by World Athletics)