It was a night to remember for Ukraine at the Stade de France on Monday night, as they celebrated three Olympic Games medals across the women’s high jump and men’s hammer throw.
Former Piotr Nurowski Prize winner Yaroslava Mahuchikh clinched Olympic gold in the high jump, following on from her success last year at the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games and the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She was joined on the podium by her compatriot Iryna Herashchenko, who took bronze.
European Games gold medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan won bronze in the hammer throw, where Hungarian Bence Halász claimed the silver medal.
For Mahuchikh and Kokhan, they were the latest Kraków-Małopolska 2023’s champions who followed up their success in Poland with medals in Paris, highlighting the European Games’ ability to attract the continent’s top athletes and provide a pathway to the Olympic Games.
“It was a very interesting competition, because the format made it two competitions together with the European Team Championships combined with the European Games,” Kokhan recalled of Kraków-Małopolska 2023.
“It was interesting. I became the silver medallist. It was nice that I won a medal there because that’s what I had to do for my country.”
Mahuchikh’s career has gone from strength to strength since winning the EOC’s prestigious Piotr Nurowski Prize for best young European athlete in 2019. She won bronze at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and shortly before Paris 2024 set a world record of 2.10m.
A jump of 2.00m enabled her to win gold at the Olympic Games, and she assessed her growing list of achievements.
“I think that it’s two things that we cannot compare because the world record it’s really important for us but the gold medal too,” Mahuchikh said.
“When it comes to the Olympic Games, the gold medal is more important than the world record. I’m really happy that I jumped every height in the first attempts and that gave me the gold medal for Ukraine.”
Herashchenko shared her delighted at being joined on the podium by her fellow Ukrainian Mahuchikh.
“I am very happy to be nearby Yaroslava because she is a very talented girl and she is a world record holder. I saw this moment, I was in the area when she jumped 2.00m, and for me I am proud,” Herashchenko said.
European athletes continue to lead the way on the continental medal table at the first Olympic Games held in Europe for more than a decade.
The EOC will continue to work towards raising the profile of Olympic sport in Europe, and the 2027 European Games in Istanbul will again provide a pathway for European athletes to compete at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
Watch Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s interview here.
