Yaroslava Maguchikh Opens Up About Her Experience During the Start of the War: Russians Questioned the Reality and Expressed Support
Ukrainian star an athlete Yaroslava Maguchikh recently made an open statement revealing the emotional and psychological challenges she faced at the onset of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to her, in the early months of the war, some Russian athletes reached out to her and openly challenged the facts about the conflict, claiming that the images and videos she shared about the war were fake and fabricated.
“They wrote to me that the photos and videos I posted about the war were fakes and hoaxes,” Maguchikh shared.
“Initially, I tried to explain the reality of what was happening in my country, but I quickly realized that it was a futile effort.
It was very disappointing and created a deep internal conflict for me.”The athlete also spoke about her main Russian rival, Maria Lasitskene, and her delayed public apology five months into the full-scale war.
Maguchikh expressed that it was already too late for apologies, emphasizing how much Ukrainian athletes needed support during the initial days of heavy bombardments and existential threats.
“We needed their support at the very beginning when we experienced bombings, and they remained silent,” she said.Maguchikh’s remarkable achievements last season include setting a world record in the high jump discipline at 2.10 meters, winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and securing her first European Championship title.
Her long-time rival, 32-year-old Maria Lasitskene, was previously one of the top contenders in the high jump sector.
Lasitskene, an Olympic gold medalist at Tokyo 2020 and three-time world champion, has faced her own challenges due to the international athletic sanctions imposed on Russian athletes following the invasion.Most recently, it became known that Lasitskene decided to pause her career due to sanctions and restrictions.
The controversy surrounding Russian athletes and their responses to the ongoing conflict has ignited worldwide debates about the intersection of sports and politics and how war influences athletes’ careers and personal choices.