World indoor athletics, the Ukrainian Mahuchickh: “Gold dedicated to those who fight”

From our correspondent Andrea Buongiovanni

& commat; abuongi

March 19
– belgrade (ser)

There is a lot of dignity in the face and in the words of Yaroslava Mahuchickh, the new world champion of high indoor. The twenty-year-old Ukrainian, like all compatriots, is experiencing dramatic days and her success can only be seen through the filter of the war that is hitting the country. The Olympic bronze and silver world champion outdoors in office, after passing 2.00 on the third attempt, climbs up to 2.02, the best seasonal world performance and thus has the better of the Australian Eleanor Patterson and the Kazakh Nadezhda Dubivitskaya who, with 2.00 and 1.98, hit the oceanic and Asian record.

travel

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Yaroslava, after the race, never takes the yellow-blue flag off his back. “On the night of February 24 – she says – in my Dnipro, I was awakened by two explosions: they marked the beginning of the Russian offensive. We took refuge in the countryside, certainly without thinking about sport. Then came a phone call from the federation: there was a chance to participate in the Indoor World Cup. To get out of Ukraine, it took three long days, with a thousand phone calls, many changes of direction, explosions, flames and air raid sirens. I wish it were a nightmare, it was the reality. It was a difficult journey, covered by car for about 2000 km. We finally arrived in Belgrade, also with the help of the Romanian and Serbian federations, on 9 March “.

The plural also concerns Iryna Gerashchenko (fifth with 1.92 in front of Elena Vallortigara), with her in the second part of the transfer. The two, with a platform on which to train, tried to concentrate on the upcoming race. The audience of the Stark Arena cheered them as she did all of them. And Patterson, on yellow-painted nails, drew little blue hearts.

on the front

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“It was not easy – admits Yaroslava – but jumping is what I know how to do and it is the way in which I can represent my country, with which I can honor it and in some way represent it. Happy to wave our flag. Everyone has your war front. This title is for my people, for the military, for all those who are fighting. ”

“Russians, stop!”

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Then he adds: “It has already lasted too long, dear Russians, stop calling it a military operation, stop. It’s a war!” She is asked about her compatriot Yuliia Levchenko, also in the world high silver in London 2017. “She is from Kiev – she explains – psychologically she is very exhausted. We wrote to each other. Now she is in Estonia, at the home of our manager, Aivar Karotamm “. Yaroslava, on the other hand, together with her mother, will move from Belgrade to Germany, to Herzogenaurack, host of her own technical sponsor, where she will be able to continue training. “I hope to find Yuliia again soon or in July, at the Eugene World Cup,” she adds. Without tears. With the flag on her shoulders.