Yaroslava Mahuchikh: Five exciting facts about Ukrainian high jump champion

Ukrainian athlete Yaroslava Mahuchikh set a new world high jump record at the Diamond League in Paris on July 7, 2024. Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP

Nearly three weeks before the Paris Olympics, Ukrainian champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh made history in the women's high jump and proved she is a Ukrainian and international sports powerhouse. On July 7, 2024, Yaroslava set a new world high jump record at the Paris Diamond League, clearing 2.10 meters. This result broke the previous 2.09-meter record of Bulgarian Olympic champion Stefka Kostadinova, which had stood since 1987​.

In Paris, the Ukrainian high jumper first crushed the competition with a result of 2.03 meters, winning the contest, and then set her personal record of 2.07 meters. After securing her title, she wowed the public by jumping 2.10 meters on her first try. At just 23 years old, Yaroslava Mahuchikh beat one of the longest-standing records in athletics. After the competition, the Ukrainian athlete said, "Coming into this competition, I felt I could jump 2.07 meters and maybe 2.10 meters. Finally, I signed Ukraine to the history of world athletics."

Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won her first gold medal at 15 at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: World Athletics

Yaroslava Mahuchikh began making waves in the high jump world at a young age. At just 15 years old, she won her first gold medal at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships by the largest margin in the competition's history and set an unofficial world high jump record for an athlete her age. She continued to excel, winning the high jump contest at the European Youth Olympic Festival just a few weeks after her first gold medal.

In 2018, Yaroslava secured the highest title at the European U18 Championships, setting a new record for the competition. In the same year, Mahuchikh became a Youth Olympic champion, winning a gold medal in Buenos Aires. In 2019, the Ukrainian sports star became the youngest athlete to win a Diamond League contest at 17.

Ukrainian high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh after winning the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Photo: Darko Vojinovic/AP

As an accomplished young athlete, Yaroslava Mahuchikh continued her winning streak in adult sports, securing medals at every major global competition. She clinched the gold at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022, the silver at the World Championships in 2019 and 2022, and bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In 2023, she won a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and a silver at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, completing her collection of global medals​.

Despite her achievements, including a world high jump record, Yaroslava stays humble and doesn't view herself as the frontrunner for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which start on July 26. "I am looking forward to the Olympic Games here [in Paris]. I am sure it will be a great competition with an even better atmosphere, but I know it will be hard and very competitive," Yaroslava said following her 2024 Paris Diamond League performance.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh's high jump at the World Athletics Championships on July 19, 2022, in Eugene, USA. Photo: David J. Phillip/AP

After Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Mahuchikh had to flee her home city of Dnipro, which Russian forces still regularly attack after two years of the war. Despite the hardship, she managed to travel over 2,000 kilometers to compete in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March, where she won the gold medal. Her resilience has illustrated how strong and determined Ukrainian athletes — many of whom train in Ukraine amid air strikes and drone attacks — are in the face of adversity.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh proudly represents her resilient nation on the international stage and hopes to bring victories to her country and uplift her people. "I'm competing for my country, for my people, for our soldiers," the Ukrainian high jump champion said. "I'm thankful to all of them that I have the opportunity to train outside of Ukraine and to represent my country."

Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Photo: Kirby Lee/Reuters

Throughout her career, Mahuchikh has been a symbol of national pride for Ukraine. The Ukrainian people appreciate Yaroslava Mahuchikh for her contributions to national and international sports and for promoting her country worldwide, especially amid Ukraine's fight against the Russian onslaught. Ukrainians have welcomed her each victory, including her world high jump record, with joy and pride and wish her success at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Yaroslava has every chance to win her first Olympic gold.

The Ukrainian high jump champion realizes how important media attention is in garnering support for Ukraine. "I can help [my country] through my results on a sporting level, which gives me the opportunity to talk to media," Yaroslava Mahuchikh said after winning the Belgrade World Championships in 2022. "[I want people to know] that we are a very strong nation who has been through a lot in the history of Ukraine and suffered a lot. But I know we are strong, and we will survive it all. We just have to believe in ourselves."

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