'Nairobi is an important place for me' - Olympic champion Mahuchikh on why she owes so much to Kenya's capital

'Nairobi is an important place for me' - Olympic champion Mahuchikh on why she owes so much to Kenya's capital

Abigael Wafula 07:30 - 17.09.2024

The Ukrainian high jump star explained why Nairobi will forever hold a special place in her heart as she continues dominating the field event.

Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh has opened up about her special relationship with Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

Mahuchikh noted that it was in Kenya, at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, that she curved a path for her now glamorous career. In an interview with Pura Vida Sports Africa, the Ukrainian explained that it was then that she began her preparations for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

In Tokyo, the reigning world champion finished third before returning to the Paris Olympic Games where she claimed the gold medal. She explained that her coach at the time pointed out that Nairobi taught her how to handle the crowds since a huge number of fans came out to cheer the athletes.

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“Nairobi is an important place for me. The world junior championships (in Nairobi) really gave me the understanding that I can continue with this career and it started my preparations for the Olympic Games,” Mahuchikh said.

“My coach always says Nairobi gave me the experience with the crowd because Nairobi was a big stadium and the fans were so loud and it made me know that (despite the noise) I can focus on my jump and jump good,” she added.

She returned to Nairobi in 2023 for the Kip Keino Classic where she claimed the title before reigning supreme at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

This season, she started off with a second-place finish at the World Indoor Championships ad proceeded to claim top honours at the Diamond League Meeting in Oslo. The Ukrainian continued her winning streak to the European Championships and later won gold at the Paris Olympics.

She proceeded to win the Diamond League Meetings in Silesia and Zurich and ended her season with a dominant win in the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.

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