Yaroslava Mahuchikh: Her journey from war-torn Ukraine to become the world's best high jumper

Yaroslava Mahuchikh has cemented her place in high jump history a couple of times in just this year alone, with her most recent achievement being her incredible win at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics over the weekend on August 4.

Clearing a height of 2.00m three times to beat Aussie rival Nicola Olyslagers, the Ukrainian secured her first-ever Olympic gold medal.

It caps off an incredible 12 months which has seen her become a World Champion in her discipline, as well the world record holder with her 2.10 jump in July, which beat a 37-year-old record by 1cm.

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At just 22, it’s sort of scary to think about just how far Mahuchikh – already arguably the greatest ever in the discipline – can go in this sport, as her best years are almost certainly ahead of her. Let’s look back at her journey so far, including the turmoil of fleeing her war-torn homeland, her incredible record and, of course, THAT sleeping bag routine!

Born in 2001, Yaroslava Mahuchikh began her career as an athlete in her hometown, Dnipro, where she began training in long jump and hurdles before dedicating herself entirely to high jump, as reported by the BBC.

Her first international title came in 2017, at just 16 years old, when she won the gold medal at the under-18 World Athletics Championships, as documented by World Athletics.

In 2018, she managed to get on the podium in another international competition: the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires, where she collected another gold medal.

In 2019, she managed to win the first test in the Diamond League, also known by the sponsored name of Wanda Diamond League, thus joining the world athletics elite with a record jump for her country of 2.05 m, as documented by World Athletics.

In the same year, at the World Championships in Doha, Mahuchikh obtained a silver medal, again for the high jump.

Mahuchikh's form brought her to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where she secured a bronze medal for her discipline.

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In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the conflict made competitive pursuits incredibly difficult. In order to make the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade that year, she had to undertake a three-day journey of 2000 km by car from Ukraine to Serbia, to escape the siege. She would go on to win the World Indoor Championship title for high jump.

The arduous trip perhaps gave her a mental edge, as she explained to German state-owned news agency DW: "I think about my trip to the World Indoor Championship a week before the competition. We did it to compete and we had a great season."

The same year, Mahuchikh had already won the silver medal at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon (pictured) and the gold medal at the European Championships in Munich.

In September 2022, however, she set yet another high jump record for Ukraine, of 2.06 m during the Brussels Diamond League, as covered by World Athletics.

2023 saw Mahuchikh reach even greater heights as her winning ways continued. The year culminated with her win at the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest with a jump of 2.01 – Mahuchikh was officially the World Champion!

This would be the start of a stunning run of form as she set her sights on the Paris Olympics. At a Diamond League meet in Paris in July, Mahuchikh carved out her place in history with a record-breaking jump of 2.10m.

The previous record of 2.09, set by Bulgaria's Stefka Kostadinova, was seemingly untouchable – Even Mahuchikh didn't anticipate beating it, as she told ESPN at the time: "Coming into this competition, I had feelings that I could jump 2.07 meters and maybe 2.10 meters," Mahuchikh said. "Finally I signed Ukraine to the history of world athletics."

With such incredible form so close to the Olympics, it's no wonder everyone had their eyes on Mahuchikh coming into the final, and she didn't disappoint, securing the gold after clearing 2.01 in three consecutive runs, as recounted by the Olympics.

But another thing caught fans eyes during her Olympic run: her peculiar habit of settling into a sleeping bag in the middle of the stadium in between her jumps. As she told the Guardian, it's a sort of meditation.

"I have a camping blanket that’s cool for any temperature. It can be hot or cold and it will be good. It’s my relaxation before jumps, trying to think only about jumps, noticing how I feel comfortable."

You cannot argue with the results! Mahuchikh proved herself to be the best in the world once again on August 5, but even this sort of high is short-lived, as the war in her home country is never far from her mind.

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"I’m now 22 but I feel that a lot of things happened to me," she says. "Every time there is a rocket attack I think I can lose my parents, my family. Unfortunately a lot of children are now without parents. We live in the 21st century. We have technology, we have liberty, the world is moving forward. We should be travelling and exchanging experience, but we can’t do it because we need to fight for our country," The Guardian reported.

Mahuchikh's year is also far from done. She has three more meets this year, including the Diamond League Final in Brussels in September, and then a long winter training block ahead. But right now, it seems home is calling. "I’m looking forward to come back to my own city, to see my family and friends and celebrate this gold medal with them," she told The Guardian.