Mahuchikh wins gold at inaugural Absolute World Athletics Championships in Budapest
Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold in the women's high jump at the first-ever Absolute World Athletics Championships in Budapest, clearing 1.99 m on her second attempt. Ukrainian hammer thrower Mykhailo Kokhan added a bronze in the men's hammer throw on the same day.
Key points
- Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the women's high jump with 1.99 m, cleared on her second attempt; Australian Nicola Olyslagers took silver with 1.95 m and failed at 1.99 m.
- Eleanor Patterson (Australia) and Angelina Topić (Serbia) shared third place with 1.91 m; Ukraine's Iryna Herashchenko finished fifth (1.91 m) and Yuliia Levchenko sixth (1.86 m).
- Mykhailo Kokhan won bronze in the men's hammer throw with 78.90 m; Germany's Merlin Hummel took gold (81.46 m) and Hungary's Bence Halasz silver (80.30 m).
- Canadian Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg finished the hammer throw without a valid result after his second attempt was disallowed.
- The Absolute World Championships is a new invitational format limited to no more than 8 athletes per non-running discipline and 16 per running discipline; the total prize fund is $10 million and individual winners receive $150,000.
- Mahuchikh became the first woman to hold Absolute World Champion, Olympic Champion and World Champion titles simultaneously; she is the Paris 2024 Olympic champion and holds the world record of 2.10 m (2024).
- The tournament features no traditional medal ceremonies: winners receive a trophy and symbolic bracelets instead.
Why it matters
Mahuchikh became the first-ever Absolute World Champion in women's high jump at a brand-new global tournament format planned to recur every four years, and the first athlete in history to hold Absolute World Champion, Olympic Champion and World Champion titles at the same time. Ukraine placed two athletes on the podium — Mahuchikh's gold and Kokhan's bronze — at the inaugural edition, anchoring the country's presence at a landmark event in athletics.
What happened
Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the women's high jump at the inaugural Absolute World Athletics Championships in Budapest on 11 September 2026. She cleared 1.91 m and 1.95 m on her first attempts, then took the decisive 1.99 m on her second attempt; her main rival, Australia's Nicola Olyslagers, finished with 1.95 m and failed at 1.99 m. Eleanor Patterson and Angelina Topić shared third at 1.91 m. Among the three Ukrainian entrants, Iryna Herashchenko finished fifth with 1.91 m after failing three attempts at 1.95 m, and Yuliia Levchenko finished sixth with 1.86 m after failing all three tries at 1.91 m. Mahuchikh then attempted 2.04 m — which would have been the world's best of the season — but did not clear it. In the men's hammer throw the same day, Ukraine's Mykhailo Kokhan took bronze with 78.90 m, behind Germany's Merlin Hummel (81.46 m) and Hungary's Bence Halasz (80.30 m); Canadian Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg finished without a valid result after one of his attempts was disallowed. Oleh Doroshchuk's men's high jump was scheduled for 13 September. The Absolute World Championships, a new invitational format limited to eight athletes in non-running events and 16 in running events, does without traditional medal ceremonies: winners receive a special trophy and symbolic bracelets. The total prize fund is $10 million, with individual winners reportedly receiving $150,000.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources covering the event are Ukrainian outlets, and they frame it as a moment of national pride. Coverage emphasizes Mahuchikh as the first-ever Absolute World Champion in women's high jump and her concurrent Olympic, World and now Absolute titles. Biographical context — her Dnipro origins, her status as a sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, her world record of 2.10 m, her third consecutive European title and her 2.04 m post-victory attempt — receives substantial attention. Outlets also highlight Kokhan's own assessment that he was generally but not fully satisfied with his bronze, and detail the clearance attempts of Mahuchikh, Herashchenko and Levchenko in the women's high jump.
How international sources describe it
No international framing is available from the supplied sources; all coverage comes from Ukrainian media.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on Yuliia Levchenko's exact result: most list 1.86 m, one gives 1.87 m. They also differ on Kokhan's best hammer throw — some report 78.90 m, while Ukrinform reported 79.49 m. Herashchenko's placement is described inconsistently: some sources cite her cleared height as 1.91 m (fifth), others note she failed three attempts at 1.95 m after clearing earlier heights. One source frames Mahuchikh's Diamond League season as a second consecutive runner-up finish; another phrases it ambiguously.
Background
The Absolute World Athletics Championships is a new invitational tournament limited to eight athletes per non-running discipline and 16 per running event. The 2026 edition in Budapest had a $10 million prize fund, with individual winners reportedly receiving $150,000. Mahuchikh is the Paris 2024 Olympic champion, the world record holder at 2.10 m (set in 2024), a three-time consecutive European champion in high jump, is from Dnipro and is reported to be a sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine's delegation consisted of Mahuchikh, Herashchenko, Levchenko and Doroshchuk in high jump, plus Kokhan in hammer throw. The tournament has no traditional medal ceremonies; winners receive a trophy and symbolic bracelets instead.