Meet Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Ukrainian who broke the 37-year-old women's high jump world record ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

Yaroslava Mahuchikh is a high jumper who represents Ukraine. She recently shattered the world record in the women’s high jump at the 2024 Paris Diamond League.

At the Paris Diamond League, Mahuchikh achieved a remarkable result by clearing 2.10m in the high jump to break a 37-year-old record previously set by Stefa Kostadinova of Bulgaria (2.09m) in 1987. This performance by Mahuchikh has established her as one of the strongest contenders for gold at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

She was way ahead of her competitors at the Paris Diamond League, with Nicola Olyslagers and Angelina Topić finishing second and third with clearances of 2.01m and 1.98m respectively. Topić’s performance at the meet was also a Serbian national record as she equaled her own mark set at the Rabat Diamond League earlier this year.

With Mahuchikh breaking a long-standing world record at the Paris Diamond League, let’s explore more about the 22-year-old.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s family and hometown

Mahuchikh was born on September 19, 2001, in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. She has an older sister.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s education

After attending high school in Dnipro, she registered herself to study physical education at the Dnipro Higher School of Physical Education.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s coach

Tetyana Stepanova has been the coach of Mahuchikh since she was 13 years old. Stepanova is the person who accompanies Mahuchikh during her competitions.

A look at Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s junior career

One of her biggest wins during her junior high jump career came at the World U18 Championships in 2018, recording a jump of 1.92m in the finals.

She also secured gold medals in three European Championships (age-group categories) at the U23, U20, and U18 levels, by clearing 2.00m in 2021, 1.92m in 2019, and 1.94m in 2018, respectively.

A look at Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s top accomplishments

Mahuchikh at the European Championships Munich 2022. (Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty Images for European Athletics)

Mahuchikh gained international recognition in track and field after winning a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha with a 2.04m effort. She earned another silver at the 2022 World Championships after clearing the 2.02m. The following year, she grabbed her first title at the Worlds with a winning effort of 2.01m.

At the prestigious Olympic Games, she won the bronze medal in Tokyo with a clearance of 2.00m. She also showed her prowess at the World Indoor Championships by winning gold and silver in the 2022 and 2024 editions. She claimed the Diamond League title twice in 2022 and 2023.

In addition, she is a two-time European champion with victories in 2024 and 2022 and European indoor champion, having claimed the titles in 2023 and 2021.