High jumper’s glory after Ukraine escape

THREE weeks after hiding in a cellar as bombs exploded around her home in Dnipro, Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh yesterday became the tale of the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade by taking the gold medal.

After winning the title with a 2.02m clearance, the 20-year-old said it had taken three days to make it out of her country amid the horrors of the Russian invasion.

She said: ‘It took hundreds of phone calls, many changes of direction, explosions, fires and air raid sirens. I would like to think that it was just a nightmarish dream, but this is the reality of the war. It’s so difficult but I’ve done very well for my country because I protect it on the track.’

Meanwhile, Italian Marcell Jacobs followed his Olympic 100m gold medal by beating Christian Coleman to gold in the 60m final.

Coleman, competing in his first major championship after an anti-doping ban, led through halfway but was pipped at the line by Jacobs, who crossed in 6.41sec — three thousandths of a second clear. It broke Dwain Chambers’ European record of 6.42s. Britain’s Adam Thomas was fifth in 6.60s.