IT’S HARD TO call the world’s two best high jumpers “ferocious rivals” when they both seem to be so kind to each other. But Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Nicola Olyslagers have battled often and hard, and like so many competitions lately, this one came down to the Ukrainian and the Australian. This time it was Mahuchikh who triumphed, though fans were deprived of the chance to see the World Record-holder scale historic heights.
Conditions seemed fine to observers, and indeed, eight were still in the mix as the bar raised to 6-6 (1.98). Both Olyslagers and Mahuchikh sailed over smoothly on their first attempts. But what they made look easy proved devastating for the rest of the field.
Vashti Cunningham, the only American to make the final, was the first to attempt that bar; she would also be the first to get three misses, none of them close. Still, she would place 5th, her best finish ever in her three trips to the Games.
Also going out would be Ukrainian Iryna Gerashchenko and Australian Eleanor Patterson. With matching perfect records to that point, they would share the bronze.
That left only Mahuchikh and Olyslagers, who were World Ranked 1 and 2 respectively for 2023. While the Ukrainian held the advantage in their career match-ups, winning 20 of 25, at championship meets the ratio has been much closer: 3 to 2. Olyslagers with her silver stood a step higher than Mahuchikh on the Tokyo podium. At this year’s World Indoor, the Australian took the gold to Mahuchikh’s silver.
The bar moved to 6-6¾ (2.00) and the match was on. Olyslagers missed, and retired to study her ever-present notebook, while Mahuchikh put the pressure on with a smooth clearance. Olyslagers missed again, bringing even more pressure to bear. The Aussie’s third attempt, though, was textbook perfect, and her joy was amplified by a loud and supportive crowd.
At 6-7½ (2.02), both struggled, though it’s a height that Mahuchikh has cleared many times and Olyslagers four times. The bar was repeatedly knocked off by their heels. When Olyslagers missed thrice, that sealed the Olympic triumph for Mahuchikh. With her sole remaining effort, she had the bar moved to 6-8¼ (2.04), but that ended with another miss.
With two Ukrainians and two Australians claiming the medals, they shared a victory lap that thoroughly pleased the nearly-capacity crowd.
Said Mahuchikh, who…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Track & Field News…