Winner of the European Athletics Championships in Rome is Ukrainian Jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh

Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh has emerged victorious at the 2024 European Athletics Championship, held in Rome. The 22-year-old athlete won her event with a jump of 2.01 meters, marking the best performance by a Ukrainian in the history of continental championships. No Ukrainian woman had previously achieved such a height at the Euros. Another Ukrainian athlete, Iryna Herashchenko, secured the bronze in the competition, as reported by Ukrinform.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh began the competition by easily clearing 1.90 meters, skipping the first two heights (1.82 meters, 1.86 meters). On her second appearance, she cleared 1.95 meters on her first attempt, immediately placing her in the lead.

In her next jump, the native of Dnipro cleared 1.97 meters. In the battle for gold, she competed against Serbia’s Angelina Topić, who opted to skip 1.99 meters. Yaroslava cleared this height on her first attempt.

Topić attempted to clear 2.01 meters but failed, leaving her in second place. Mahuchikh managed to clear 2.01 meters on her second attempt, securing her historic victory, which is her second consecutive European championship title. Iryna Herashchenko finished third with a jump of 1.95 meters.

This achievement marks the first time in history that Ukraine has claimed a double podium in women's high jump at the European Championships held outdoors. In 2022, a similar feat was accomplished by Ukrainian athletes in the 400 meters hurdles, when Viktoriya Tkachuk and Anna Ryzhykova won silver and bronze, respectively.

Previously, The Gaze reported on the epic drama in the race walking event at the European Athletics Championship, where a Ukrainian athlete won a bronze medal just two steps before the finish line.