If you travel 60 hours by car to take part in a world championship, you won't be disturbed by a ticking seconds watch.

When the 60 seconds for her first jump start to expire, Jaroslawa Mahuchich just takes off her long pants and sweatshirt afterwards.

1.88 meters have to be mastered, as the only one of the twelve finalists at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade she had left out the entry height of 1.84.

Achim Dreis

sports editor.

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With 22 seconds left on the clock, she finally arrived at her starting point at the age of twenty.

Apparently, the young Ukrainian doesn't need a period of concentration.

She starts running immediately, eight, nine, long steps, left turn in front of the bar, dynamic jump from the left stem leg - and the 1.81 meter long athlete flies easily over the 1.88 meter high bar - successful entry into the World Championships.

Just under an hour and a half later, she is beaming on the red track in Belgrade, a bouquet of flowers in her hand and a blue and yellow flag spread out over her.

The flag that is currently being raised in half of Europe as a sign of solidarity.

"I dedicate this victory to the Ukraine," she says in the first interview with the winner while still on the track.

And the audience cheers them.

Her colors are blue and yellow

Jaroslawa Mahuchich had driven the 1800 kilometers from Dnipropetrovsk via Moldova and Romania to Serbia together with her trainer Tatjana Stepanova.

She reported on the more than three-day trip, accompanied by "explosions, fires and air raid sirens".

Regulated training was hardly possible for the high jumper because of the war.

Arriving at the destination of her journey, her hardships are hardly noticeable.

The second in the world rankings, a silver medalist at the 2019 World Championships and bronze medalist at the Olympics in Tokyo, fills her role as favorite with a casual casualness that is just as casual as the fact that, given the warlike background in her home country and the uncertain future of Ukraine, not only the eyes of sports reporters are aimed at the young ambassador of their country.

She painted her fingernails alternately blue and yellow.

The top is yellow and the shorts are blue.

Even in the competition, the tall woman can hardly be overlooked as an outstanding representative of Ukraine.

Between jumps, she wraps herself in a tan blanket – her only color outlier of the day – and lies down on the floor to rest.

Her jumps are not all flawless, she only masters 1.92 meters in the second attempt, the two meters only in the third.

But she shows nerves of steel when it matters.

From height to height, the second youngest in the field shakes off one competitor after the other.

At 1.95 meters there are still seven of them, at 1.98 meters there are four.

At just two meters, Mautschich has the medal for sure.

Only at 2.02 meters, flawlessly overcome in the first attempt - even with air between the back and the crossbar - does she take the lead for the first time.

On the YouTube channel that broadcasts the championship, the English-speaking commentator rolled over with enthusiasm.

Only the accompanying translation program does not quite get along with the slang: "My Hood Chick" is the written attempt to write down the names of the leaders.

"My hooded chick" or "hooded girl".

But she doesn't hide.

Her successful attempt over 2.02 meters should be the jump to gold.

World best performance at that.

When the Australian Eleanor Patterson starts playing poker after a failed attempt over 2.02 meters, Mahutschich remeasures her run-up for the 2.04 meters.

As at the beginning of the competition, she overlooks the timer.

With 19 seconds remaining, she rips the blanket off her hips and starts running.

It doesn't matter that the bar falls after that.

No one can snatch victory away from her.

Second is Patterson (2.00 meters) ahead of Kazakh Nadezhda Dubowizkaja (1.98).

The second Ukrainian, Irina Gerashchenko, is fifth (1.92).

Olympic champion Marija Lassizkene from Russia was not allowed to participate.

The director of the hall plays one of those hit songs that are usually played at sporting events.

From the White Stripes: "Seven Nations Army".

You don't have to think that's appropriate for the victory of a Ukrainian.

Or just a lot.