Yaroslava Mahuchikh: New Heights in Ukrainian Athletics

Ukrainian athlete Yaroslava Mahuchikh reflected on her performance at the Diamond League stage in Paris, where she set a new world record. She admitted that the joy of bringing happiness to people in Ukraine motivated her.

She mentioned this in a comment for the Diamond League press service.

"Before my attempt, I felt like I couldn’t do it. But then I asked the crowd to cheer for me, and the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible.

What I thought about before my first step was that there would be a huge celebration in Ukraine if I succeeded. There had been a lot of difficult news, and I thought: if I break the world record, I’ll write Ukraine’s name in the history of athletics.

Many people said no woman could jump higher than 2.09 m, but now I’ve opened that door.

When I jumped, I didn’t immediately understand what it meant. I realized it only in October when my coach and I returned to Ukraine, and the National Olympic Committee nominated me for the "Athlete of the Year" award and showed the video of my world record and Olympic gold medal. That was the moment I understood how fantastic this year had been", said Yaroslava.

It’s worth noting that Yaroslava Mahuchikh set a new world record in women’s high jump at the Diamond League stage in Paris, which took place in mid-July last year.

Recently, the athlete announced her return to official competitions.

Mahuchikh also commented on her preparation for the first stage of the Diamond League.