Yaroslava Mahuchikh became world champion in high jump for first time

Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh became the world champion in the high jump for the first time in her career, winning a gold medal in Budapest with a score of 2.01 metres.

Source: Suspilne sport

Details: Mahuchikh, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist, had stopped twice one step away from the title of world champion. In 2019 and 2022, she won silver medals with gold being taken by Russian Maria Lasitskene and Australian Eleanor Patterson, respectively.

Mahuchikh won this gold medal with her lowest score in the World Cup finals – 2.01 metres. In 2019, she jumped to 2.04 metres and won a silver medal, in 2022 – 2.02 metres.

This is the first gold medal of Ukraine at the world championships in athletics in 10 years.

Iryna Herashchenko, another Ukrainian in the final, has only participated in the World Championship finals once so far. Last year, in the World Athletics Championship of 2022, held in the US city of Eugene, the Ukrainian only lost her place on the podium to Italian Elena Vallortigara by number of attempts.

The Ukrainian athletes passed two starting marks, 1.85 and 1.90 metres, without mistakes. Mahuchikh passed the starting height, after which she easily passed the second barrier as well. Herashchenko managed to jump 1.94 metres on the first attempt. But Mahuchikh used two jumps to overcome the distance.

Only eight finalists reached the fourth bar – 1.97 metres. On the first attempt, only two contestants overcame it: Mahuchikh and Australian Olyslagers; the other participants botched the first two attempts.

Five finalists, including Iryna Herashchenko, failed to overcome the 1.97 metres bar. The Ukrainian finished the final at fifth place, her second-best result at the world championships.

The fight for the gold medal unfolded between Mahuchikh, Olyslagers, Patterson and British Morgan Lake. The last two jumpers covered 1.97 metres on the last attempt to maintain their chances for a medal.

Mahuchikh jumped 1.99 metres on the first attempt, as did the previous champion Patterson. The second attempt was a success for Olyslagers, but Lake raised the last attempt to 2.01 metres but could not make it, ending the final fourth.

None of the future medallists managed the 2.01 metres on the first attempt, but Mahuchikh’s second jump was a success, repeating her best result of the season and coming out in intermediate first place. Both Australians did not jump 2.01 metres in the end.

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