Yaroslava Mahuchikh returned to the scene of one of her greatest triumphs and made history once again.
The Ukrainian high jump star claimed the inaugural gold medal at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Friday, 11 September 2026, clearing 1.99 metres to become the first-ever Ultimate champion in her event.
The 24-year-old, who won her first world title at the same Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre in 2023, added another global crown to a career that already includes an Olympic gold, two world indoor titles, and the world record.
Mahuchikh was near-flawless through the early heights, clearing 1.91m and 1.95m on her first attempts.
She needed two tries at 1.99m but was confirmed champion when Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers — the reigning world champion — could not clear the same height.
Olyslagers, who had battled through a gruelling competition, settled for silver with 1.95m. Australia’s Diamond League champion Eleanor Patterson and Serbia’s world bronze medallist Angelina Topić shared bronze on 1.91m.
With the title secured, Mahuchikh attempted 2.04m — a height that would have extended her own world lead — but could not clear it on three attempts. It mattered little.
“I Dreamed of This Trophy”
“I am so proud to be in the history of world athletics,” Mahuchikh said afterwards. “This is the first Ultimate Championship and I am the first Ultimate champion — I am so happy. I dreamed of having this trophy in my hands.“
She spoke of the significance of returning to Budapest, where she had won her first global outdoor title three years earlier.
“I like to compete in Budapest. I took my first world title here and now at the same stadium I’m making history by becoming the first Ultimate champion.“
The Budapest triumph capped a remarkable 2026 campaign for Mahuchikh, who also won gold at the European Athletics Championships in August with a 1.97m clearance, and at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, in March, where she cleared 2.01m.
She remains the world record holder, having cleared 2.10m in Paris in July 2024 — a mark that shattered a record which had stood for 37 years.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new addition to the global athletics calendar, designed to bring together the sport’s biggest stars in a condensed, high-stakes format.
The inaugural edition in Budapest featured reigning Olympic and world champions competing head-to-head across a range of disciplines.
For Mahuchikh, it was another line on a résumé that continues to grow. As she put it: “I wanted to be able to put mine on the trophy and to bring it to my home in Ukraine and put it with all the Diamond League and other trophies.“
