Mahuchikh reigns supreme in European high jump final
06/09/2024 05:04 PM
Ukrainian gold and bronze in women’s high jump on Sunday in Rome as Ana Peleteiro-Compaore wins the triple jump title
Yaroslava Mahuchikh confirmed her status as the undisputed queen of European high jumping on a damp night in the Stadio Olimpico.
The 22-year-old successfully defended her title with a best jump of 2.01m. Her senior crowns in 2022 and 2024 add to the European under-18, under-20, under-23 and two indoor titles she's won in the past.
It was a great event for Ukraine generally, too, as her team-mate Iryna Gerashchenko won bronze with 1.95m. Sandwiched between them was Angelina Topić, the rising star from Serbia who won the European under-20 title last year and doesn't turn 19 until next month.
Topić cleared 1.97m on her third attempt but Mahuchikh was over that height at the first try before going on to clear 1.99m first time and 2.01m at her second attempt.
Competing in her fifth European Championships aged 27, Morgan Lake finished sixth equal with a best of 1.90m.
The Briton said: "To be fair the rain only really got me on the second attempt of that final bar when I saw it in my eyes. Third attempt I was telling myself 'just forget the rain, just run'. I do think my third attempt was my best attempt but there's still some things I need to work on."
She added: "I did get it right in qualifying and I was happy with my first two clearances of 1.86m and 1.90m. It was a season's best but obviously not at my best, so going into Paris and the next few comps I need to raise that best again so that when I get to a champs I'm not having to find something I haven't done yet.
"I just needed to attack more, I've got a lot of speed and power and I need to make use of it."
Ana Peleteiro-Compaore (Getty)
Peleteiro-Compaore takes triple jump gold
Ana Peleteiro-Compaore has made the podium at plenty of events in the past – most notably with World U20 gold in 2012, European indoor gold in 2019 and Olympic bronze in 2021 – but in Rome she enjoyed her finest moment as she took the European senior crown with a best jump of 14.85m (-0.5).
The 28-year-old beat Tuğba Danismaz into second place, the Turkish athlete jumping a national record of 14.57m (-0.8) as Ilionis Guillaume of France jumped 14.43m (-0.3) for bronze.
For more Euro Champs coverage from Rome, click here
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