Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh wins an emotional women’s high jump gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships after driving three days from her war-torn homeland to compete in Serbia
- Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold in Belgrade on Saturday
- The 20-year-old set a world-leading clearance of 2.02m to claim the title
- She endured a three-day drive from her war-torn homeland to compete
Three weeks after hiding in a cellar as bombs exploded around her home in Dnipro, the Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh became the tale of the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade by taking the gold medal on Saturday.
After taking the title with a 2.02m clearance, the 20-year-old revealed it had required a three-day to make it out of her country amid the horrors of the Russian invasion.
She said: ‘It took hundreds of phone calls, many changes of direction, explosions, fires, and air raid sirens. I would like to think that it was just a nightmarish dream, but this is the reality of getting anywhere in my country even today. This is the reality of the war.
Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold at the World Indoor Championships
‘It’s so difficult but I think I’ve done very well for my country because I protect my country on the track.’
Meanwhile, the Italian Marcell Jacobs followed his Olympic 100m gold medal by beating Christian Coleman to gold in the 60m final. Coleman, competing in his first major championship after an anti-doping ban, led through halfway but was pipped at the line by Jacobs, who crossed in 6.41sec – three thousandths of a second clear. It broke Dwain Chambers’ long-standing European record of 6.42sec.
Britain’s Adam Thomas was fifth in 6.60sec.
The 20-year-old set a world-leading clearance of 2.02m to claim the title on Saturday