Mahuchikh turns focus to the Olympics after breaking 37 year old world high jump record in Paris

World champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh says she is looking forward to a great competition at the Paris Olympics after she produced a flawless clearance of 2.10m to break the long-standing world record in the event on Sunday at the Meeting de Paris, the seventh leg of Wanda Diamond League meetings.
‘I am looking forward to the Olympic Games here. I am sure it will be a great competition, and even better atmosphere – but I know it will be hard, and will be very competitive. A major event like the Olympics you really need to be mentally strong, and like my coach says, it is a celebration, and you should definitely enjoy it,’ the Ukrainian said after her incredible feat.
Mahuchikh says she almost nearly did not want to go for the world record following her coach’s advice that she should stop after clearing 7.00m ahead of the Olympics.
‘My coach told me that maybe I should stop because of I have the Olympic Games coming up – of course that is more important – but I felt inside I could do it, and, to be honest, I wanted to try the World Record – and I did it at my first attempt.
‘Of course we have been doing a lot of work with my coaches, a lot of hard work, also to recovery from a small injury before the European Championships. Now that I am healthy, I am ready to fight, and I broke my own World Record here in Paris where people have been very supportive.’
The Ukrainian says she feels really happy for the feat.
‘I feel fantastic because it was an incredible jump, and I manage to do it in my first attempt. It was really incredible, even more so because I only jumped 2.07 at my second attempt, and it was already my personal best,’ she added.
Mahuchikh saw off the challenge of world indoor champion Nicola Olyaslagers, who had matched Mahuchikh at 2.01m, both women clearing it on their second attempts. Australia’s Olyslagers failed three times at 2.03m, but Mahuchikh got over it on her second try.
With victory secured, Mahuchikh moved the bar up to 2.07m and once again cleared it on her second jump, doing so with room to spare to set a Ukrainian record. She then had the bar raised to 2.10m – one centimetre higher than the world record set by Stefka Kostadinova at the 1987 World Championships – and cleared it on her first try.