Ukrainian jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh secures bronze at World Indoor Championships
Photo: REUTERS / Issei Kato
Ukrainian jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh became a bronze medalist at the World Indoor Championships. This happened on the last day of the world championship, which is ongoing in Nanjing, China.
Suspilne Sport reports this.
The athlete's high jump final closed the program of Ukrainian performances at the World Indoor Championships.
Two representatives of Ukraine took part in it at once:
- Yaroslava Mahuchikh,
- Kateryna Tabashnyk, for whom this tournament was the first in her career.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh contended for the world indoor champion title alongside fierce competitors, including Olislagers. Among her rivals were Olympic bronze medalist Eleanor Patterson, European indoor vice-champion Angelina Topic, and two-time World Indoor Championship medalist Vashti Cunningham, all vying for a spot on the podium.
As a result, the Ukrainian jumper showed a result of 1 m 95 cm.
How did the women's high jump final go?
- It began at 1.85 meters, a height Yaroslava missed on her first attempt, while most competitors cleared it immediately. Ukrainian Kateryna Tabashnyk succeeded on her second try.
- Cunningham was the first to be eliminated in the final after failing to clear 1.89 meters. Tabashnyk nearly ended her run but cleared the height on her third attempt.
- However, already on the next bar of 1.92 m, Tabashnyk finished her performance and took ninth place. Instead, Mahuchikh, who had previously started at a height of 1.88 m, decided to miss 1.92 m.
- At a height of 1.97 m, four high jumpers who cleared the 1.95 m bar remained: Mahuchich, Australians Olislagers, and Patterson cleared it on their first attempt, and Topic on their second.
- Mahuchikh could not clear the 1.97-meter bar on her first try and missed it by 1.99 meters after moving it. However, her 1.95-meter result secured her the bronze medal, as she surpassed Topic with fewer attempts.
Photo: REUTERS / Tingshu Wang
Olislagers claimed the gold, successfully defending her champion title. Although she didn't clear 1.99 meters, she surpassed Patterson based on fewer attempts.
World Indoor Athletics Championships. High jump, women, final
- Nicola Olislagers (Australia) — 1.97 m
- Eleanor Patterson (Australia) — 1.97 m
- Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) — 1.95 m
- …
- Kateryna Tabashnyk (Ukraine) — 1.88 m
After the final, Mahuchikh revealed that a heel injury hindered her performance, an issue that had persisted since her triumph at the European Indoor Championships. She also noted experiencing leg problems during her run-up.
The Ukrainian athlete called the performance itself "normal" in a comment for World Athletics. She believes that she should also appreciate the bronze medal, although she failed to achieve her main goal—"gold."
"Of course, I wanted to jump higher. But today, I did the best I could. After the European Indoor Championships, I had a small heel injury. So today was not ideal [in terms of the result], but it's okay. I won the bronze medal – athletes should appreciate every medal because it results from hard work," the athlete emphasized.
This ended Mahuchikh's streak of 10 consecutive international victories. Her last non-gold result was a silver at the World Indoor Championships in Athletics.
For reference:
For Mahuchikh, the World Indoor Championships were the last major international start she did not win. In 2024, the Ukrainian jumper became the vice-champion of the competition—then she lost to Australian Nicola Olislagers at a height of 1.99 m.
Mahuchikh entered the 2025 World Championships as the reigning European indoor champion, but she ended the competition early due to discomfort in her leg.
