Eugene. Before the war, Yaroslava Mahogich and Russian Marija Lasitskene were good friends and rivals.
When the Ukrainian is now looking for a gold medal in the World Cup for her country, she is outraged by the actions of Lasitskene and other Russian athletes after the outbreak of the war.
February 24 changed everything. She says: I don’t want to see killers on the road.
The war had just broken out when Jaroslava Mahojic managed to flee the country after a tragic ordeal, and then managed to win the World Cup in the high jump in Belgrade. Now she is in Eugene to repeat the feat.
– Sports gave me more motivation because I want to convey the good news to the Ukrainian people. After IVM, many have written to me that they have a reason to smile, it’s so cute. “I have the same goal, to jump well for my people,” she said in a pre-tournament press conference.
She sits alongside Norwegian star Carsten Warholm at a sponsorship meeting. He talks about how his sporting life was “hell” after an injury to the back of his thigh prior to the tournament. Jaroslava Mahoghi’s Inferno looks different. She is from Dnipropetrovsk, which was quickly approaching the war front.
She recently posted a photo on social media of a bombed-out stadium in Bahmut.
100 athletes died
When Sportbladet asks her about the photo and how she handles all the reports from home, she gets emotional.
– Yes, it is not only a stadium that has been bombed, there are a lot of gyms and arenas all over the country that have been bombed. Our athletes cannot train and compete, it is said that 100 athletes died in the war and the situation for all coaches is very bad.
– It’s hard mentally, but I think we’ll win (the war) and get back to our lives. But we will never forget this period in our lives.
Before the outbreak of the war, the most difficult opponent was the Russian Maria Lasitskene. The Russian won in Tokyo but the pair had a good relationship. This is no longer the case.
February 24 changed everything. She did not write to any of us Ukrainian athletes at that time. But three months into the war, she wrote to (International Olympic Committee President) Thomas Bach complaining that she was not allowed to compete. Our people die because we are Ukrainians, this is perhaps the answer to the question of our relationship … , she says – but adds:
– I don’t want to see killers on the road, that’s what it’s all about. Many Russian athletes support this war.
