The recent Olympic high jump champion, Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh, dedicated her gold medal to the nearly 500 coaches and athletes who have died since the beginning of the Russian invasion of her country.
Mahuchikh, 22 years old and originally from Dnipro, triumphed in the competition with a jump of 2.00 meters during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, one month after setting a new world record with a mark of 2.10 meters.
"In my country, the Russians killed people and almost 500 athletes died in this war and they will never compete, celebrate, or feel this atmosphere. So I am happy with the gold medal; it is really for all of them," declared the champion.
The athlete also took the opportunity to urge Russian athletes to speak out against their country's invasion. According to AFP, Mahuchikh expressed her disappointment over the silence maintained by the few Russian athletes competing under a neutral flag in Paris. "They have said nothing against this war," she commented, emphasizing that the Olympic spirit should promote peace and condemn violence.
In Paris, only 15 Russian athletes have been authorized to compete, keeping a low profile. For example, Russian tennis player Diana Shnaider avoided discussing politics after winning the silver medal in women's doubles with her partner Mirra Andreeva, limiting herself to saying: "I am here to talk about tennis."
Mahuchikh, who is also the current world champion in high jump, considers it "terrible" that Russia has ignored the concept of the Olympic truce by continuing its military operations in Ukraine.
Her recent victory and the dedication of her medal highlight the political component of her triumph, especially in the absence of the defending Olympic champion, the Russian Mariya Lasitskene, who could not compete due to the exclusion of Russian athletes by the international athletics federation.
Regarding her future aspirations, Mahuchikh plans to continue competing well into her thirties, with the goal of surpassing 2.11 or 2.12 meters and continuing to break world records. "There is always room for improvement," she stated with determination.
Her gesture joins that of Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan.
Mahuchikh's gesture is joined by that of the fencer Olga Kharlan, who also dedicated her bronze medal obtained in Paris to all the Ukrainian athletes who have died in the war since the invasion initiated by Russia in February 2022.
The Ukrainian athlete, who secured her fifth Olympic medal, expressed her passion for her country at the end of the competition: "Ukraine, we love you, this is for you, dear, this is for you," the cameras captured her screaming after winning the dramatic match.
"This is a message to the whole world: Ukraine will never surrender," emphasized Kharla, according to cooperativa.cl.
Kharlan, 33 years old, lost his semifinal match against the French Sara Baltser and was losing 5-11 against the 23-year-old South Korean fencer Choi Sebin in the battle for bronze before he managed to turn things around to win with a score of 15-14 yesterday, Monday.
The fencer, when questioned about where she drew "the strength" to win the medal in a match that had turned against her, referred to her background: "I am Ukrainian. We have strength, we will always have it. We will always fight," Kharlan said.
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