Tokyo
\nThe 23-year-old is competing in Sunday\u2019s Golden Grand Prix in the Japanese capital at the same stadium where she will attempt to defend her world title later this year.
\nMahuchikh has emerged as one of Ukraine\u2019s top athletes since Russia invaded the country in 2022.
\nShe set a world record of 2.10m last year before winning gold at the Paris Games.
\nShe said: \u201cevery competition is important for me because I represent my country\u201d.
\n\u201cI do my best to show people that Ukraine continues fighting for independence,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m really proud to represent my country so I\u2019m looking forward to coming back in September to protect my title of world champion.\u201d
\nMahuchikh has been outspoken in her support of Ukraine, dedicating her Olympic gold to the hundreds of athletes and coaches who have been killed since the invasion began. Her country was again in her thoughts as she set her sights on defending her world title.
\n\u201cOf course, I have a target to win the gold medal,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to just give my people a happy time because, unfortunately, now is a difficult time — only sport and art can give these memories.\u201d
\nMahuchikh is competing in Tokyo for the first time since the pandemic-postponed Olympics in 2021, where she won bronze.
\nShe has since gone from strength to strength, capturing the world title in Budapest in 2023 and Olympic gold a year later.
\nShe said she wanted to savour the atmosphere in Tokyo after fans were locked out four years ago because of pandemic restrictions.
\n\u201cI want to give the energy to the people, to my fans because I didn\u2019t have time in Covid time to enjoy this atmosphere,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cTomorrow it will be an incredible atmosphere for sure. It will be a great preparation before the world championships in September.\u201d
\nAmerican sprinter Sha\u2019Carri Richardson, who won Olympic silver in Paris, will race for the first time this season in the women\u2019s 100m in Tokyo.
\nAmerican Christian Coleman headlines the men\u2019s 100m race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tokyo The 23-year-old is competing in Sunday\u2019s Golden Grand Prix in the Japanese capital at the same stadium where she will attempt to defend her world title later this year. Mahuchikh has emerged as one of Ukraine\u2019s top athletes since Russia invaded the country in 2022. She set a world record of 2.10m last year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-479266","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n