Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s Journey Escaping The Russian Invasion of Ukraine To Becoming A World Champion

"In my mind, I have the situation going on in Ukraine. So it was really complicated for me to turn off this emotion and to be focused only on high jump. I'm really thankful to my coach because she said to me, ‘We come to show the results. We come for the gold medal. And we come for our country, to show all people that we are strong and will fight in all areas.’"

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh will make her debut at the ⁠116th Millrose Games⁠ at The Armory on Feb. 11 in New York City.

Mahuchikh just wrapped up a stellar 2023 season in which the 21-year-old claimed gold in the women’s high jump at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest by clearing 2.01m on her second try. She completed her global outdoor medal set after earning a silver medal at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo in 2021. 

Mahuchikh also earned a gold medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia – which took place just weeks after fleeing her home in Dnipro due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She traced by car for three days to make her way to the championships.

She has been training in Germany and Turkey within the past year. At 21 years old, she has been very vocal about using sport as a platform for promoting peace and awareness about how the war has devastated Ukraine.

In September, Mahuchikh cleared a world-leading 2.03m to win the women’s high jump at the Prefontaine Classic and defend her Diamond League trophy. Following the meet, she spent a few days in New York City to celebrate her 21st birthday.

The Millrose Games is the sixth stop on the 2024 ⁠World Athletics Indoor Tour⁠ Gold calendar.

Livestream and television broadcast details will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more Millrose Games athlete announcements as the pro fields come together.

Tickets to the 116th Millrose Games can be purchased online at ⁠millrosegames.org⁠.

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