"It's such a stupid idea!" Maguchikh reveals whether she receives letters from Russia, why she postponed her wedding, and what childhood story she still laughs about

Olympic high jump champion Yaroslava Maguchikh won all the major titles in professional sports by the age of 23, but she is not going to stop and is already planning to update her own world record. She also appears in commercials and various shows and donates hundreds of thousands to the Ukrainian military. However, due to Russian aggression, she is forced to postpone her wedding because she does not want a purely female holiday.

In an interview with OBOZ.UA, the world champion and world record holder spoke about her relationship with a former Russian woman, whether she still receives messages from Russia, how she got her engagement ring, and whether she plans a political career like Usyk.

- Have you even had time to feel what has changed in your life after this Olympic gold?

- After the Olympic gold, I only gained recognition. That's all. After each award, only the number of subscribers on social media is added. How much did you add after Paris? More than 200,000. In fact, all the Olympians, if we take athletics, have more followers. And the world's. World stars, of course, have more, but that's okay (smiles).

- I saw on social media how you were returning home, to Dnipro. What were your thoughts?

- Oh, I was traveling and thinking that I would rather return home before the vacation, in principle. I don't even know which desire I had more - to return home or to go on vacation. So I was happy to be home again, met by my parents and another friend. And then everything went according to the template, everything went as it should: we went home, my mom cooked food, met, sat, talked, and then left.

- What did your mom cook? Probably what her child loves the most.

- My mom used to cook borsch, fish, and herring. And I love zucchini. Zucchini with garlic sauce. It's just the top. Also, when I came to Ukraine for one day on August 24, I was greeted very warmly by the border guards, with flowers, congratulating me on my return home.

- Did something inside you cry out when you crossed the border?

- Of course I did. Both when I came for one day and now. I really love being in Ukraine. In fact, I planned to stay only in Ukraine for two months. But it turns out that I still have a responsibility, and social work requires that I travel, both to Kyiv and abroad.

I recently attended a conference in Porto, where, again, our sports minister, Matviy Viktorovych, and I tried to convey to the world that we should continue to suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.

- What are your main arguments now? After all, the full-scale war alone has been going on for 2.5 years, and some people abroad have gotten used to it, while others are frankly starting to get tired.

- First, we need to talk about the events - that the shelling continues and that people are dying here. Secondly, we need to remind them that the future of our sport and the future of our children is being destroyed. Because now they do not have the opportunity to come and train in peace and go towards their goal, to move towards Olympic awards. It's unfortunate. And this is all formed in the story and the screenings.

There was also an exhibition that showed destroyed objects, children with disabilities after the war... That's how we tried to convey the message.

- By the way, Oleksandr Usyk once admitted that he had plans to become the Minister of Sports. Don't you have similar ambitions? After all, you are already gaining some experience, participating in international conferences with ministers.

- No (smiles). For now, the track and field and the jumping sector are waiting for me. But, of course, I want to stay in sports to further develop the sport and attract many people. But I still have time to work on my own media presence and develop myself as a media personality. Now I am developing the sport when I have the opportunity, while I am still on the track.

- Speaking of media personality. We have seen you in various shows. The last one was "Club of Amateurs". In addition, I noticed an advertisement for a well-known chain of Kyiv confectioneries with your participation. It seems to me that you feel very free in front of the camera, like a fish in water.

- It seems so (smiles). In fact, I like it a little bit. Because I like high jumping more than some media stuff. Honestly. But I understand that it's necessary. And, in principle, it's cool for your image. So in the off-season, it's very cool to participate in filming and photo shoots like this.

And it distracts you a little bit from your field of activity. That is, you can do this during your vacation, in the off-season.

- And then what? After all, there are many sports stars who, after their careers, found themselves on television or even tried their hand at movies.

- These are basically my first steps, when you're still jumping, running, fighting, and developing your media side whenever possible. And only then does it give you, I would say, some "goodies" in the future.

- I saw how during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, despite all the suspensions of Russian athletes, journalists from Russia tried to get through to you and ask you questions at a press conference. Is this request still coming from them?

- In fact, Russian journalists do not contact us at all. And, in principle, who would contact them? But, of course, they try to get into the media zones. And there have been such cases. And so our press officer defended us, and she had this position: "If there is even one Russian journalist, that's it - we will not give any interviews." And so it happened. When they showed up, everyone closed up, and no one said anything.

- But Yaroslava Maguchikh is a popular personality in Russia. Do they still try to write to you on social media from there? Because I know they used to.

- No, only at the beginning of the full-scale war did they write. They don't write now, and thank God. Honestly.

- But there are still some people who say that you have a negative attitude towards Russians only because you were hated for your photo with Lasitskene at the 2020 Olympics and because of pressure from the Ministry of Sports. What would you say to them?

- God, this is such a stupid idea, really. It's the same thing they wrote a lot at the beginning of the war. After all, a few days after the full-scale invasion, we were supposed to have the Ukrainian track and field championship, but of course, everything was canceled. And at the same time they were holding the Russian championship. And many Russians, when I posted about the war and the shelling, wrote that it was only because you don't have the Ukrainian championship and you can't compete.

And then, basically, everyone "turned on," and I tried to convey, how can you think like that? After all, people are being killed, missiles are flying over our heads... And what kind of sport can there be now? Back then, at the beginning of the full-scale war, no one knew what would happen next.

- Being at the Olympics, it was impossible not to notice the very friendly atmosphere in your sector. And then you spoke so warmly about each other in a conversation with journalists, especially the girls from Australia. And Nicola Olislagers said that you inspire her. How do you respond to such things?

- We inspire each other. In fact, this podium in Paris 2024 was very special. Two girls from Australia and two Ukrainians. Let's be honest, we always compete and change positions with the Australians. And this is very motivating. It gives us such an impetus to show better and better results.

Yes, of course. After the competition, we all talk, when we meet at banquets, dinners or lunches, we all discuss something. And now, indeed, we have warmth in the sector itself. We can talk a little bit, but of course, everyone is still focused on their own business, but there are already some impulses.

- But unfortunately, a representative of the Russian Federation, Kulichenko, appeared in the sector, hiding behind a Cypriot passport. Does she try to contact you? How have you adapted to these new realities?

- She has not tried and will not try to contact us. In fact, we all know very well that we are defending our independence and freedom in the international arena. That is why no one approaches us, because everyone knows how it will turn out. Unfortunately, this is what happened. She is the only representative, but I very rarely meet her at competitions, only at the Olympic Games. And it does happen.

But still, in our athletics (thanks to Sebastian Coe and our federation, which worked hard for this), from the very first days, the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the international arena was banned. Sebastian Coe personally came to Kyiv and attended the Ukrainian Championships in Lviv.

- Your sleeping bag caused a furor at the Olympic Games, although you had used it before. But when you lie like this with your eyes closed and headphones on, isn't there a fear of accidentally falling asleep?

- No, not really, because it's hard to fall asleep, but taking a break with my eyes closed allows me to tune in to the next attempt and do it well. That's how I set myself up. No, I'm not worried that I'll sleep through my attempt. Well, I might miss one height... (Laughs). But I don't fall asleep, I try to move my arms a little. I'm visualizing.

- What's harder - fighting with your rivals or with the height? Especially recently, when very often your rivals have already competed, and you are still jumping.

- I've always said that I basically fight with myself to improve my results. Yes, I fight a little bit with this girl - the bar. Sometimes it falls, sometimes it stands. So the most important thing is to improve your skills and show results.

- Is there a human limit? And how far have you managed to fulfill your potential? After all, there is always a seemingly eternal record, but then someone will definitely break it.

- For example, many people said that Stefka Kostadinova's world record (2.09 m) is one of the longest in athletics. It lasted 37 years. And many people said that human capabilities had already been exhausted so that one could jump higher. But this Ukrainian girl proved that it is all possible. The main thing is to go for your goal. And, of course, there are dreams to improve even more, to jump even higher. And I hope it will happen.

- Do you have any figures in mind? Or how will it go?

- Well, I think I have a margin of 2.15 meters. Although at training, I always have a bar lower than two meters. We work on the technical part more.

- After the 2024 Olympics, in addition to the prize money from Ukraine, you also received a $50,000 award from World Athletics. Was it a surprise for you?

- I haven't received it yet (smiles). But I knew in advance what was going to happen, because the International Athletics Federation is the only one so far that has implemented a system of payment for Olympic gold. This is one of the ways to popularize athletics.

If athletes do not receive monetary awards for the most prestigious competitions, the Olympic Games, how can they continue their journey and train? After all, not everyone has the opportunity to find sponsors or support from the state. This is one of the ways we can fight to popularize athletics. And another argument was: how can athletics, which doesn't have a lot of money, compete, for example, with football, which is watched by many people and has a lot of money? Well, how else?

- After the Olympics, you donated large sums of money to the military and to charity. How did you decide how to distribute these donations?

- Yes, well, first I distributed it to my team, because after all, Olympic gold is a team effort. We all worked very hard together. And then I knew for sure that I wanted to help the military, but I wanted to transfer the money to trusted people and organizations, I didn't want to just throw it around. The hardest part was to choose where and to whom.

I talked to a friend who was involved in this, and she advised me to transfer 500 thousand to Azov Angels and Hospitallers. These are foundations that are engaged in the recovery of the military, helping them, and it was great.

Then I found out that Lachen was going to have a collection, because at the time I signed my bag from the Olympics so that people would get a gift for their donation. I thought, why not? In fact, it was a proven collection, and I knew that the cars would go to their intended purpose. And I had just met Igor Lachenkov last year. And I decided: great, that's it, that's where the money is going.

Of course, I decided to help animals as well. Because, despite the fact that during the war it is most important to help the military, I love animals, I have a cat from a shelter, and I know how difficult it is to evacuate animals from the frontline areas, how they cannot help themselves.

And how many problems there were at the beginning of the war, when people left but didn't even let their pets out, cages were closed, all these hangars. UAnimals wrote about all this, and I knew that it was a trusted foundation, and of course I helped them, and I also asked UAnimals if they could give me the contacts of trusted shelters, because now, unfortunately, there are a lot of those who are just cheating, and there is no shelter at all. Many people are taking advantage of the situation.

In addition to what UAnimals advised me, of course, there was also the shelter from which I took my cat and knew that the money was definitely going to animal rescue. And some of the shelters I helped later wrote back to me, thanked me, and after a while sent me photos that they had built concrete enclosures for dogs and that they would be warm in the winter. I was very pleased. And I believe that animals also need to be helped, because, unfortunately, they cannot help themselves.

- It's no secret that your beloved Nazar asked you to marry him, and some fans are shedding tears under your joint photos on social media. How did your love story begin, how did it happen?

- It's very simple, really. We trained together, went to practice together; of course, at first no one said anything about any feelings, it wasn't love at first sight. But then one day he asked me to go to the movies, then he invited me to go for a walk together. We walked around like that, talked, and eventually realized that we loved each other.

It's a shame, but we can't hold a wedding ceremony now, because I would really like to get married in Ukraine, in Dnipro, to gather relatives and friends. But, unfortunately, we can't do it because of the war. When I was proposed to last year, I thought that this year everything would be over and we could get back to celebrating. But, unfortunately, there is no such possibility now and, frankly, I don't want to, it's not the right time.

Although, on the other hand, they seem to say that you have to live life here and now, because you are young, in your prime, so to speak. But I understand that I want to gather my relatives and friends at the wedding, and now it's difficult because everyone is scattered around the world. And to have a ceremony abroad would only make it a women's wedding.

It is very difficult to do this with communication, but I hope that we will succeed. And now this is not the most important thing, the main thing is to win this war so that everyone can return to their lives.

- And how did the confession take place?

- In the family circle, in front of his parents, and it was important to him. In fact, we bought the ring even earlier, he chose it with me, and I gave it to him later. So it turned out that he gave me the ring, and I gave it back, saying that I was waiting for an offer, so that everything would be official (laughs).

And he had already proposed to me in front of my parents when we came back to Ukraine last year, because it was important for him to do it in front of his family, so that his parents would approve. And then we made everything public.

- You recently posted your childhood photos, which aroused a lot of interest. You were also a guest at the Artek children's camp. Did you ever have the opportunity to go to a camp somewhere and experience those moments of childhood?

- Actually, I have a lot of archival photos (smiles). And since my mother worked as a doctor in a camp in the woods in the village of Tsarychanka in the Dnipro region, I had the opportunity to go there and spend some time there.

And it's cool when kids communicate together, they organize something there, invent something. But it's always been difficult to part when you spend two or three weeks together, when you catch the same wave. And very rarely do you manage to communicate when you return to the city. But it's okay, it's very cool, it brings you closer together, and it's primarily about communication.

- Did you use toothpaste?

- We used to smear ourselves with toothpaste, and I also remember some nights of crimson and blue, when we had to take a guy's T-shirt and hide it, and the guys had to take it from us.

-Is there any childhood story that might have influenced your future choices in life?

- No, in fact, my choice was influenced by the fact that Tatiana Vladimirovna came to coach at the sports school, and I got into her group. Because there was a time when I wanted to go to a music school and give up athletics. At that time, I wanted to realize myself in something else.

But then Tatyana Vladimirovna came along and I stayed in athletics, and I think it was, you know, like fate that made everything come together-we started training together and reached such heights.

- Is there a childhood story that you still laugh about?

- Oh, yes. At one time we had a game called "darkness". I, my two cousins, and my brother were playing. And one day we decided to play in the hallway, and the house was big, and by chance this guy, David, and I broke the door handle when we wanted to hide. And I remember that my older cousin tried to somehow glue this handle, repair it, and then took the blame. And we still remember playing these games as children.

- I also wanted to ask you if there is a story that you are ashamed of, but this is probably it?

- Well, yes, it was a bit embarrassing in front of the owner of this house (smiles).

- What kind of baptism are you? After all, I know that your sister's daughter is not only your niece but also your goddaughter.

- Such a godmother that she suggested that her sister go to a concert on the day of her younger sister's birthday (laughs). And then Nastia reminds me that it's Vika's birthday, so I can't go. And I was like: "Yeah, wait, oops, that was a little awkward." In fact, this happens simply because of the busy schedule, when you travel back and forth, and then you get a little bit "floating" in the dates and where you are.

But I am very happy to come to visit Vika and my sister. It's a kind of outlet. In fact, I hope that she might be a future champion, because she has already tried on my spikes for height and liked them very much, and on a sports roller. So I think she will definitely be involved in sports. But it's up to her to decide if she likes it.

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