Mahuchikh, brought positive energy and lit up Paris twice.
PARIS :– Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh said its the most successful year of my career by winning women’s world field athlete of the year but my overriding wish is for peace to reign over my war-torn country.
The 23-year-old high jumper has had an annus mirabilis “competing for her compatriots to give them good vibes”, lighting up Paris on two occasions.
In July the engaging and thoughtful Mahuchikh broke the 37-year-old women’s world record with a jump of 2.10 metres at Charlety Stadium and then a few weeks later was crowned Olympic champion.
It was one of the lighter moments as she reflected on returning home to Dnipro after the season and seeing the destruction wreaked since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion in February 2022.
“I see damaged buildings, destroyed buildings. I say this and I want to cry,” she said.
“Several weeks ago rockets hit a building only 200 metres from my house.It was so loud!
“You know our people are so strong but I live this hope that it will finish as soon as possible and with victory.”
Such are the circumstances in Ukraine that Mahuchikh had to weigh up the emotional pull of returning to Dnipro with the risks attached.
She left Ukraine shortly after the invasion, admitting that leaving her family, especially her father Oleksiy, had been a huge wrench.
“To come back home was a big question – can I or not because every day (there are) air raid sirens and rocket attacks?” she said.
“But it is my home! It is the place where I grew up and I want to come back to my home and my people.
“I spent like almost my whole life here. I am 23 years old and of course they should be the best years of my life.
“But those of a similar age and I cannot enjoy a normal life. We are not able to go to the cinema and enjoy a whole screening for example because we have air raid sirens and have go to a safe place.”