Olympic champion and world record holder in high jump Yaroslava Maguchikh won the tournament in Zagreb with a result of 1.97 m, but could not overcome the height of 2.01 m. According to her coach Tatyana Stepanova, the athlete’s main difficulties now are not related to physical fitness, but to technical and psychological aspects.

After the victory at the Boris Khantsekovich Memorial, the mentor of the Ukrainian athlete explained why Maguchikh cleared the bar at a height of 1.97 m only on the third attempt and failed the next mark.

Stepanova noted that recently the athlete has noticeably increased in strength and speed, but is not yet able to fully realize this potential during the jump.

“In training she has become stronger and faster, but she still doesn’t have the required upward push-off. I think the potential is very big. We need to work on getting her to mentally understand what needs to be done.. The problem is not the readiness to jump, but what’s going on in her head right now,” the coach said in a commentary to Suspilne Sport..

According to the specialist, even after record achievements, athletes have to get in shape again and return to their usual sensations with the start of each new season.. Stepanova emphasized that Maguchikh is in good physical condition, and the attempt at 1.97 m showed a high level of readiness.

Tatyana Vladimirovna also expressed confidence that in the coming months the Ukrainian jumper will be able to regain optimal technical sensations during take-off.

" I think by September it will have a good effect. Then she will again get the feeling of how to fly and use her foot correctly when pushing off.. Now this element is a little lost, but I think everything will be fine,” said Stepanova.

Separately, the mentor commented on the complaints of some competition participants about the peculiarities of the runway sector in Zagreb. According to her, the conditions did not become a problem for the Maguchys and did not affect the final result..

The next start for the Ukrainian athlete will be the Ukrainian Championships in Lviv, which will be held on July 10–12. For Maguchi, this will be the first performance at the national championship in the last five years..