Olympic bronze medalist Iryna Herashchenko continues her successful return to competition following the birth of her daughter.
This winter, the high jumper resumed competing for the first time since autumn 2024. Her comeback began at the Ukrainian Team Championships, where she claimed victory with a clearance of 1.90m. She later finished third at an international meet in Belgrade, clearing 1.91m.
At the season’s main national event — the Ukrainian Indoor Championships — Herashchenko delivered a confident performance, clearing five consecutive heights on her first attempts: 1.75m, 1.79m, 1.83m, 1.87m and 1.90m.
After 1.90m, only Ukraine’s leading high jumpers remained in the competition — reigning world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh and world silver medalist Yuliia Levchenko.
The next bar was set at 1.93m, which Herashchenko cleared on her third attempt, marking her season’s best performance.
The bar at 1.96m proved too high on the day. With 1.93m, Herashchenko secured the bronze medal.
The 1.96m height ultimately decided the medal positions: Mahuchikh cleared it on her second attempt to take gold, while Levchenko went over on her third attempt to earn silver.
“I Was on Cloud Nine”
Speaking to Suspilne Sport, Herashchenko shared her emotions about returning to top-level competition:
“I’m incredibly happy that I was in the sector competing with our strongest girls. Last year, I watched the Ukrainian Championships and thought how much I wanted to recover after giving birth to my daughter and compete again. Today, I was simply on cloud nine.”
“We won’t be going to the World Indoor Championships. We’re finishing the season with this beautiful 1.93m result — at home, in such a great atmosphere. Now we’ll start preparing for the summer.”
“There probably won’t be much rest — I’m not that tired. We’ll gradually move into preparation for the outdoor season. We need to do significantly more than we did during the winter. The goal is to enjoy the process and appreciate what we have every single day.”
“Now I can dream even bigger. I’m simply grateful. I’m doing everything to make my dreams come true. I’m very thankful to everyone who helps me do that — especially Iryna Hryhorivna (Pustovit), who is rebuilding me back into an athlete. I trust her completely and truly enjoy the process.”
“Of course, there’s motivation, joy and energy. No one says we weren’t nervous — this is the Ukrainian Championships, a top-level competition. And the adrenaline was incredible. You can’t find that feeling anywhere else in life except at competitions.”
