SAINT-DENIS, France — A night of triumph brought a glimmer of joy to war-torn Ukraine, as thousands of Ukrainians watched on YouTube their beloved high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh seize gold at the Paris Olympics. Mahuchikh, forced to flee her homeland due to the ongoing conflict with Russia, celebrated her victory with two teammates who also medaled on Sunday.
Iryna Gerashchenko earned a bronze in the high jump, while Mykhaylo Kokhan secured a bronze in the hammer throw, effectively doubling Ukraine’s Olympic medal tally from three to six within an hour.
“Medals are very important for Ukraine because the people are having a very happy time, and they can cheer us and they can celebrate this with us and not think about the war for one day,” Kokhan reflected.
Mahuchikh, originally from Dnipro—a city close to 1 million people located about 60 miles from the battlefront—secured Ukraine’s first individual gold of these Summer Games, following a victory in women’s team saber fencing the day before. Recalling her harrowing escape when the Russian invasion began, she described hurriedly packing her car and leaving amidst the sounds of gunfire and the distant sight of shells.
Her triumphant return to Ukraine will mark her as an Olympic champion.
Upon securing their medals, Mahuchikh and Gerashchenko sprinted down the track, proudly waving Ukrainian flags, igniting a standing ovation at Stade de France. A moment of solidarity followed as the two athletes embraced Kokhan, and all three posed with their national flags.
Amid the celebrations, Mahuchikh paid tribute to the nearly 500 Ukrainian athletes who perished in the war, stating her gold medal is in honor of them. “They will never compete. They will never celebrate. They will never feel this atmosphere,” she said.
This marks Day 9 of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Noteworthy was American Noah Lyles’s narrow victory in the 100 meters, winning by a mere five-thousandths of a second, and Novak Djokovic clinching his first Olympic gold in men’s tennis singles. Meanwhile, Belgium withdrew from the mixed relay triathlon after an athlete fell ill from swimming in the Seine River.
Mahuchikh dethroned Tokyo gold medalist Maria Lasitskene of Russia, who has been banned from international track and field events since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite frequent Russian missile attacks disrupting Ukraine’s power grid, Gerashchenko noted they had electricity on Sunday, allowing around 160,000 people to watch online.
Mahuchikh conquered a height of 2.00 meters, surpassing Nicola Olyslagers of Australia, who failed attempts at 2.02 meters. Eleanor Patterson of Australia and Gerashchenko shared the bronze, each clearing 1.95 meters.
Contemplating whether to attempt breaking her own world record of 2.10 meters, Mahuchikh decided against it, choosing instead to revel in her new Olympic title. Asked why she didn’t strive for a further leap, she simply replied, “Why not? I was Olympic champion.”
The unique sight of Mahuchikh lying down and wrapping herself in a type of sleeping bag between jumps piqued curiosity. She explained it helps her to relax: “Sometimes I can watch the clouds…not think about that I’m at a stadium.”
Adding to her Tokyo bronze and last year’s world championship gold, this Olympic victory enhances Mahuchikh’s illustrious career. She concluded by expressing gratitude to her nation’s defenders, attributing her presence at the Olympics to their courage: “It’s all medals for our country, Ukraine, for our defenders. Only thank(s) (to) them we have opportunity to be here.”
