MAHUCHIKH'S -UKRAINE- MEMOROBILIA : LIFE HONOURS

PARIS : ' Life has passed sport as a priority ', Mahuchikh. Before the war started sport was an important thing in our lives, says Ukrainian star.

Ukraine's women's high jump world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh, their great hope for an Olympic athletics gold medal, said on Friday life and not sport had become the priority since the Tokyo Games.

The 22-year-old world champion's family are in Dnipro where she said they undergo daily shelling and rocket attacks by the Russian army - she left after the invasion in February, 2022.

'' You know, before the war started, sport, it was the important thing in our life, really, '' she said after easing into Sunday's final along with team mate Iryna Gerashchenko.

"But now we really appreciate lives, and value human lives a lot more and how life is invaluable,'' Mahuchikh said.

Wearing her trademark blue and yellow eyeliner - the colours of the Ukraine flag - Mahuchikh cleared 1.95 metres, 15 cm below the world record set in July.

However, the third member of the Ukrainian trip, 2017 world silver medalist Yullya Levchenko went out after failing to make one successful jump.

Ukraine's strengths lie in the field events.

Mahuchikh admitted on the sporting front she did feel pressure due to being the new world record holder - she broke the 37-year-old mark on another visit to Paris on July 7.

However, the bronze medallist from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics said she was bolstered by the thought of representing her people back in her beleaguered country.

'' It's my chance to show to all people that we will continue fighting and the war in Ukraine is not stopping,'' she said.

'' Show our strength mentally and show people that we will fight until the end, and we will be fighting for our liberty, our independence in every field.''

The World Students Society thanks REUTERS.