Ukrainian high jumper Mahuchikh wins first stage of Diamond League in China

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 23-year-old current Olympic high jump champion from Dnipro, claimed victory in the first stage of the Diamond League in China’s Xiamen on April 26.

Mahuchikh celebrated success in the most prestigious commercial athletics competition with a jump of 1.97 meters, beating her main rivals — Australians Nicola Olislagers and Eleanor Patterson, who previously won silver and bronze at the 2024 Olympics.

Another Ukrainian athlete, Yulia Levchenko, took fourth place in the competition with her personal record of the season,1.91 meters.

Mahuchikh also tried to update the record of the Xiamen competition by jumping a 2.03-meter bar, but failed to clear it in three attempts.

Last year, Mahuchikh set a new world record in women's high jump at the Diamond League in Paris on July 7, becoming the first woman to clear 2.10 meters. The previous high jump record at 2.09 meters had stood since 1987.

Last year,  after Muhuchikh won gold in the Olympics in Paris on Aug. 4, she was named Europe’s women's Athlete of the Year at the 2024 European Athletics Golden Tracks Awards ceremony on Oct. 26.