Newly crowned women’s European Athlete of the Year Yaroslava Mahuchikh is ready to set the bar even higher after a year of unprecedented heights, both literally and figuratively.
The high jumper celebrated her latest success at the Golden Tracks awards ceremony in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia on Saturday (26), but is already looking for further improvements and more championship glory next year, including at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Room for improvement
Mahuchikh’s accomplishments this season have been nothing short of extraordinary, marked by record-breaking performances, championship titles, and a commanding presence on the global stage that solidifies her status as one of the sport’s modern greats.
She can look back on a near-perfect year that has garnered her a much cherished Olympic gold, European gold and also break the world record for women’s high jump held by Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova since 1987. But having reached the pinnacle aged just 23, the Ukrainian is setting her sights even higher.
“I think that I have room for improvement.” she says as she considers the possibilities beyond 2.10m which she broke at the Paris Diamond League this summer. “I think that jumps until maybe 2.15m, I can jump. I want to prove my skills and of course everything is possible.”
World record "feeling"
On the day of breaking the world record at the Paris Diamond League on 7 July, she had an inkling it would be a special evening. “I thought about it in the morning, because when I did my makeup, I feel it inside.” she recalls.
“But when I came to the track and I didn't jump 1.95m, I think this is the first time I jumped with the second attempt [and] in my mind was, “Oh, I came to set a new personal best, and now I cannot jump 1.95m.’
“But I continued thinking, ‘No, today it will be a fantastic evening.’ And it was fantastic, even because I jumped 2.07m the second time and it was my personal best. It was a Ukrainian record and I was so happy. My coach was happy, and she asked me 'Will we stop?' And I say ‘No, we will try [for the world record!]’
“And I thought that no, no, I should try one attempt and that's all. Before this jump, I remember my feelings. If you're watching this video, it's one of my jumps where I am smiling, where I was so happy. And you know, before this jump I thought: what the celebration will be in Ukraine if I jump this world record?”
Proudly Ukrainian
In the immediate aftermath, she received a telegram congratulating her from President Zelenzky. Her home country and its plight since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 is never far from her mind. She is conscious of her role as an ambassador for a country impacted by war and how to wave the flag for Ukraine internationally.
“I thought: 'how I can talk to people that I'm from Ukraine?” she says of the distinct blue and yellow makeup that distinguishes her on and off the track.
“I'm from Ukraine so I continue fighting for my country. And I decided to do with the two colours. It's the colours of our flag, blue and yellow. And you know, it worked because the first time when I go out from the hotel and walking around the street, a lot of people came to me and ask about it, to ask me if I'm from Ukraine and I say, 'Yes, I'm from Ukraine.'”
A golden summer
She is a proud flag-bearer for her country, and she ensured the blue and yellow flag fluttered highest at both the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer.
Despite some concerns over a hamstring strain, she leapt 2.01m to win in the Stadio Olimpico defending her title from Munich 2022 before returning to Paris to win Olympic gold in the Stade de France.
“I was confident because I knew that no one has jumped higher than me now,” she said. “But when I came to training at Olympic Stadium, I was so confident. I like the atmosphere, because people come, and when I came to the qualification in the morning, I also saw the stadium was full with people, and it was an incredible atmosphere.
“I wanted just to feel it because it's Olympics, it's celebration of sport and we are part of this celebration, so we should relax, enjoy and jump. There were more than 70,000 people in the Olympic Stadium.”
Having won her first Olympic medal in Tokyo in an empty stadium due to the pandemic aged just 19, Mahuchikh was craving the big stage to be at its grandest. She is an athlete who revels in the heat of competition and remains head-strong even when the stakes are highest.
“You can be ready physically, but mentally, if you're not ready mentally, you will not show the good result, because sometimes some athletes, when they, went to the track, they felt some pressure from the audience, a big stadium, a lot of people, and they lose control of situation,” she says citing invaluable advice from her coach Tetyana Stepanova.
“Before the Olympic Games, she said to me, like in the Paris Olympics: 'It's celebration, just relax, enjoy and not get so excited inside.' And of course, some athletes try to take lessons with psychologists because they cannot be confident. But I think that we should find some research inside because you know yourself better than another person.”
"Good emotions" for war torn country
Despite the super-human feats, Mahuchikh is human after all, and she recalls one occasion when the ongoing war impacted her when competing in her home country. “It was in Ukraine. Russia hit (a) rocket attack in my hometown.
“It damaged a nine-floor building. A lot of people were hurt. A lot of people were killed. And I remember that. I couldn't focus. It was bad. I am going to [my] coach that ‘I cannot focus, I'm thinking about the situation.’
“And when I go to [speak to] my coach, a lot of people from Ukraine said 'Yaroslava, please jump, please jump.' I cannot change the situation that happened. But I can give a good emotions to people that they come to support me."
Every competition is important
Based in Belgium for now, she is determined to represent Ukraine on the international stage at every opportunity. Defending her title at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships will, of course, be a major target. But first up is the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships on 6-9 March when she will target her third successive title.
“Every competition - for me - is important especially the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games because I represent my country. I jump as a Ukrainian and as it gives me more power and more motivation to jump. And so, the great results [are] for my people,” she says.
There are many lows for Ukraine in the current situation, but Mahuchikh continues to deliver the highs for the war-torn nation.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics