Mahuchikh claims gold following long trek from Ukraine
Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh won high jump gold at the World Indoor Championships after driving for three days from her wartorn homeland to compete.
The 20-year-old set a world-leading clearance of 2.02m to claim the title in Belgrade yesterday.
She was in third having cleared 2.00m before posting her winning jump with her first attempt at the height.
“It was very important for me, my family, my country,” said Mahuchikh.
“I don’t think about competition, training. For me, coming here was difficult – three days by car – and to jump here was so difficult psychologically because my heart remains in my country.
“It’s so difficult but I think I’ve done very well for my country because I protect my country on the track. I think it’s a very important thing for my country.”
Mahuchikh had looked to be set for the bronze medal but she then made 2.00m with her third attempt at the height. She then produced a first-time clearance at 2.02m to strike gold.
Australia’s Eleanor Patterson won silver and Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Dubovitskaya took bronze with Britain’s Emily Borthwick 10th.
Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson has pulled out of the Championships after an injury scare.
The 20-year-old, who won Olympic silver last year, was overwhelming favourite for the 800 metre title.
Hodgkinson warmed up at the Stark Arena but decided not to race in Belgrade following a recurrence of a quad injury picked up earlier in January.
She said: “I am in great shape so it is obviously a shame not to be competing here in Belgrade, but we decided to take this precautionary step in the best interests of the rest of the year ahead.
“I’m really pleased with my indoor season and it gives me a lot of confidence heading into the summer season which I am really looking forward to.
“Lastly, I would like to pass on my thanks to the medical team for their support and efforts to try and get me on the start line this week.”
She added: “Luckily it’s not a major injury, it’s one to two weeks. I said to coach this morning if it was world outdoors ‘strap me up I’m running’. But I don’t want to have this problem to reoccur in the outdoor season.
“I made the right decision. I came here to get a gold medal, unfortunately I didn’t make the start line so it’s gutting.
“It was quite upsetting. I have never had to pull out of a race before. To come to a World Championships, my first Indoor World Championships as well, it’s not nice.
“My parents are here as well which is a little bit more upsetting but it’s about thinking about the bigger picture.”
Her withdrawal comes after Katarina Johnson-thompson pulled out of the 800m, the final event of the pentathlon, on Friday.
The 29-year-old had returned for the first time since an injury ravaged 2021, where she recovered from a ruptured Achilles to make the Olympics, only to suffer a calf injury in the heptathlon’s 200m.