In spite of the obvious hardships their country continues to endure, Ukraine has managed to assemble an 18-strong team for the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn next week.
It will be spearheaded by high jumpers Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Oleh Doroshchuk, who have set the world’s leading marks in women’s and men’s competition this season. But while Doroshchuk goes in search of his first major title, Mahuchikh, the reigning Olympic champion, is looking to extend her unbeaten run in all European championships and write another chapter in her incredible story.
Born in Dnipro, Ukraine in 2001, Mahuchikh's athletics journey began with the inspiration of her family. Her mother, a gymnast, and her father, a canoeist, instilled in her a love of sport, while her older sister, Anastasia, a former karate competitor turned athlete, paved the way for her own athletic pursuits. Mahuchikh's talent was evident early on; she excelled in various disciplines before discovering her true calling in the high jump under the tutelage of coach Tetiana Stepanova.
Mahuchikh's rise to prominence has been nothing short of meteoric. At just 15 she claimed gold at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships, equaling the championship record of 1.92m. She continued her ascent in 2018, securing gold at the Youth Olympic Games and the European U18 Championships setting a personal best at 1.94m, consistently pushing the boundaries of her potential.
The year 2019 marked a significant breakthrough for Mahuchikh. She won gold at the Borås 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships with six first-time clearances, taking the title with 1.92m which catapulted her into her first pro season.
She became the youngest athlete to win a Diamond League event at Doha, and then became the youngest jumper in history to clear 2.00m, at the Prefontaine Classic. Her remarkable performance at her first senior World Championships in Doha, where she jumped 2.04m, earned her a silver medal and the world U20 record, which had stood since 1989. She also became the youngest field event medalist in World Championships history.
Mahuchikh's momentum continued into 2020, setting two world U20 indoor records in a matter of days (2.01m Lviv, 2.02m Karlsruhe) and winning the World Indoor Tour despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then in February 2021 she flew over an astonishing 2.06m, the highest a woman had jumped indoors since 2012, moving Mahuchikh to third on the all-time list. In March of the same year she won her first European Athletics Indoor Championships gold in Toruń, setting the stage for her maiden Olympic Games in Tokyo where, at just 19 years old, she would bring home a brilliant bronze medal.
But in February 2022 Mahuchikh faced the unimaginable: the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Forced to flee her home, she embarked on a harrowing three-day, 2000km car journey to Belgrade to compete in the World Indoor Championships where, despite the immense emotional turmoil, she emerged victorious, capturing the gold medal with a jump of 2.02m.
Despite the challenges, that same year she competed in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene where she matched Eleanor Patterson’s winning jump of 2.02m but claimed the silver medal on countback; she won her first outdoor European Athletics Championships gold medal in Munich; she flew to a sensational world lead of 2.05m, her highest outdoor mark at the time, at the Brussels Diamond League; and she went on to win her first Diamond League Final in Zurich, clearing an impressive 2.03m, nine centimetres ahead of her competition. Mahuchikh had achieved what many may have thought impossible under the most distressing of circumstances.
Mahuchikh continued her ascent by kicking off her 2023 season with a confident win at the European Athletics Indoor Championships, securing gold for the second time with a height of 2.02m. She then went on to become the first Ukrainian in 10 years to win a world title in Budapest, a testament to her unwavering dedication and a source of inspiration for her war-torn country. In fact, three days after her win, Estonia handed the Ukrainian armed forces a lifesaving de-mining robot named ‘Yaroslava’ in her honour. She finished off her season by defending her Diamond League title in Eugene, setting a world lead of 2.03m.
But the pinnacle of Mahuchikh’s career came in 2024. She took silver in the World Indoor Championships, and yet another gold at the European Championships in Rome. With her position as a favourite for the upcoming Olympics set in stone, she travelled to Paris for the preceding Diamond League meeting. After winning the contest in style, she set her sights on the seemingly unattainable: one of the longest-standing world records in track and field, the 2.09m set by Stefka Kostadinova back in 1987. The bar was set at a staggering 2.10m, and in true Mahuchikh fashion, she wound up and, as the crowd held its breath, she cleared the height on her very first attempt.
Her historic feat was met with jubilation, but it was tempered by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Mahuchikh's poignant response to the news of a Russian missile attack on her homeland, just a day after her record-breaking jump, underscored the profound impact of the war on her life and those of her fellow Ukrainians. "No record will bring joy while Russia attacks my country every day, kills our soldiers, and takes the lives of children and their parents," she said.
Despite the challenges, Mahuchikh's focus remained unwavering and she claimed the ultimate achievement of all in track and field: Olympic gold. Her victory at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she cleared 2.00m, solidified her status as one of the greatest high jumpers of all time, and made her the third Ukrainian in history to become Olympic champion after Inessa Kravets and Natalia Dobrynska. Her year culminated in taking home a third Diamond League title at the final in Brussels, and she was crowned European Athlete of the Year, Balkan female athlete of the year and world female field athlete of the year among other accolades.
Mahuchikh's journey is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the athlete. She approaches each competition with the same grace and determination that has propelled her to the top of her sport. Her recent win at the Banskobystrická latka high jump meeting in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, where she cleared a world-leading 2.01m, is a testament to her continued pursuit of excellence. As she prepares to take flight in Apeldoorn, Yaroslava Mahuchikh carries with her the hopes and dreams of a nation. With her sights set on new horizons, she is ready to soar once again, inspiring the world with her extraordinary talent and unwavering resolve.
Alissa Szreter-Kelly for European Athletics