Ukrainian high jumper spoke about the difficult path of psychological recovery
Silver medalist in the high jump at the indoor world championship, Yulia Levchenko, admitted that her main victory in Torun was not the result itself, but overcoming a prolonged internal crisis and rekindling her love for the sport.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing her comments to “Suspilne Sport.”
Also read: Gold jump by Mahuchikh at the 2026 World Championship: video of the winning attempt and the champion’s first emotions
“I would have been satisfied with any result”
According to Yulia, during the final, she consciously distanced herself from thoughts about medals, focusing instead on her own feelings. The search for emotional balance after a series of setbacks proved to be a more challenging task for the athlete than preparing for the tournament itself.
“I was just doing my job. I tried to enjoy it. It had nothing to do with the height I cleared. I knew I would go out and be satisfied with any result because really regaining that joy for jumping and competitions took me a lot of time,” Levchenko noted.
The athlete added that she was ready to accept any scenario: “I understood: if the medal is meant to be mine, then it will be, and if not, then that’s okay, we keep working.”
Support in faith and encouragement
Levchenko expressed deep gratitude to her fans and her coach, Irina Pustovoyt. It was the coach’s ability to find the right words that helped Yulia endure tough times after several challenging seasons in which she remained off the podium at top competitions.
“I am very grateful to everyone who supports and has supported me. Regardless of the results – I feel it. This really gave me such motivation and the opportunity to move forward. Where do I find my inner support? In myself, in support – you have to find it in everything. The main thing is to have faith inside, and then everything will be wonderful,” the vice-world champion concluded.
Recall that Yulia Levchenko won the “silver” at the 2026 World Championship with a result of 1.99 meters, finishing only behind her compatriot Yaroslav Mahuchikh. This is Yulia’s first medal at indoor world championships.
Earlier, we reported how Mahuchikh defeated Levchenko and Gerashchenko in a star showdown at the national championship.
