Women’s High Jump
The first medals of the 2026 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Torun, Poland, went to the women’s high jumpers as follows:
1 Yaroslava MAHUCHIKH 2.01
2 Nicola OLYSLAGERS 1.99
2 Angelina TOPIĆ 1.99
2 Yuliia LEVCHENKO 1.99
The medallists all reached 1.99 meters without failures, with only Yaroslava clearing 2.01 meters. Three other athletes cleared 1.93, two 1.89, and two 1.85. Four athletes jumping 1.99 set a good standard for a championship final, but the competition also had an early-season feel.
Yaroslava’s comments on her win underlined the challenges of life for Ukrainians during the last four years: “I started my successful senior career in this arena in 2021, but today I had a different feeling. Torun is the city where many Ukrainians moved after the war started in our country, but I was really surprised by how many fans came here to support me. It was amazing. They gave me a lot of energy and motivation to raise the bar higher, even though I’d already won the gold. I am so happy that two Ukrainians were on the podium of women’s high jump. My next dream is to see three Ukrainian high jumpers in the top slots of a European or World Championships. We are a really strong team, and we’re capable of doing it. This winter, I have been preparing in Ukraine – I was a bit tired of moving from one country to another. I wanted to stay at home. We trained without electricity in really cold halls, but the sweet feeling that I can finally be at home is much more important.”
Nicola commented: “The competition was amazing. I cannot remember the last time we had something like that, with four girls clearing 1.99m on their first attempt. But being in a situation like this gives me a sense of excitement; it does not scare me. It reminds me to stay motivated to jump well. Sometimes, you just wake up and do not feel ready to compete. Today was one of those days, but I just prayed and was able to make myself feel the right way. Clearing 1.99m was probably a bigger surprise to me than to anyone else, and it feels great to share this medal with two other girls”.
Nicola also explained the challenge of living in Australia while competing mainly in Europe. Next week, she will be back in Australia for the end of the outdoor season down under.
Angelina said: “I am really glad and really proud of myself and what I have achieved after I had a really serious injury back in 2024. It was a pretty hard competition today. I don’t remember a competition at this level being so high, where you had to clear 1.99m on the first attempt to win a medal. It was a crazy competition. I was fully focused on jumping every height from the first attempt. This is my second time sharing a medal, after winning bronze in Tokyo. I came to Torun hoping to be on the podium, and I wanted to jump 1.99m. I am pretty sure I could have also jumped 2.01m, but unfortunately it didn’t happen today”.
Yuliia said, “I have been waiting for this medal for a long time. But the best reward I have received today is a feeling of joy. After years of fighting in the field for results, for medals, for records, I finally could enjoy everything I did, including my jumps, my technique, and my communication with all the best ladies in the field. Three silver medallists at World Indoors is a very special situation, but it’s better than when I cleared 2 meters in Doha in 2019 and still finished fourth. It is so great that we push each other to the next level and to improve at every single competition.”
With Yaroslava getting back to her best after a challenging 2025, and the three silver medalists to push her – not to mention Eleanor Patterson, Morgan Lake, etc., the women’s high jump could go from strength to strength in 2026.
