For Ukrainian high jumper, world silver feels like gold

By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh delivered good news to her war-torn country with a silver-medal performance at world championships. The 20-year-old cleared 2.02 meters (6 feet, 7 1/2) inches to add the outdoor silver to the indoor title she won in March. That win came shortly after she escaped her hometown of Dnipro, which had come under attack by Russia. Australia’s Eleanor Patterson hit a career high in winning the gold. Mahuchikh is one of 22 Ukrainian athletes in Oregon this week for the championships. All of them have been training far from home — some in Portugal, others in Spain, and Mahuchikh most recently in California after stops in Serbia, Germany and Turkey.