Stunning Performances at Paris Diamond League: World Records Shattered
Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh clutched her face in disbelief after she sailed over the bar for a world record of 2.10 meters at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Sunday, July 7.
Not to be outdone, two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon broke her own world record in the 1500m with a time of 3:49.07, seven-hundredths inside her previous mark set last year in Florence.
Mahuchikh had recently threatened Stefka Kostadinova’s world record of 2.09m from the 1987 World Championships, and the 22-year-old went joint-fourth on the all-time list with a second-time clearance at 2.07m.
And with the bar raised to 2.10m, the reigning world champion needed just one attempt to launch herself into the history books. With this latest achievement to her name, Mahuchikh will be a hot favorite at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 where she will seek to upgrade her bronze from Tokyo 2020.
“I feel fantastic because it was an incredible jump, and I managed to do it on my first attempt. It was really incredible, even more so because I only jumped 2.07m at my second attempt, and it was already my personal best,” Mahuchikh said.
“My coach told me that maybe I should stop because of 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.”
It was perhaps no surprise that Kipyegon would get close to the world record but Jessica Hull managed to match the Kenyan star stride for stride for the majority of the race. Kipyegon finally managed to shake the Australian off with 200m to go as she delivered her trademark kick to set another world record.
Hull was second in a new Oceania record of 3:50.83 with Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir clocking a new British record of 3:53.79 in third.
