High jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh wins Ukraine's 1st individual gold of the Paris Olympics

It was a night for war-torn Ukraine to rejoice.

Thousands of Ukrainians watched on YouTube as high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold for country she was forced to flee, n celebrated with two teammates who also medaled at Paris Olympics on Sunday.

Iryna Gerashchenko shared bronze in high jump and Mykhaylo Kokhan n claimed a bronze in hammer throw, too — doubling Ukraine’s Olympic medal haul from three to six in span of about an hour.

“Medals are very important for Ukraine because people are having a very happy time, and y can cheer us and y can celebrate this with us and t think about war for one day,” Kokhan said.

Mahuchikh, who left her home due to war with Russia, earned Ukraine’s first individual gold of se Summer Games, following a victory in women’s team saber fencing on Saturday.

She is from Dnipro, a city of nearly 1 million located only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from front lines of war. When Russia inved, she piled as much as she could into her car and left town quickly. On her way out, she heard gunfire and could, at times, see shells raining down miles away.

next time she returns, it will be as an Olympic champion.

Once medals were assured, Mahuchikh and Gerashchenko ran down track waiving Ukrainian flags, prompting a standing ovation at Ste de France.

n, when two high jumpers were given special permission to run over and embrace Kokhan, all three Ukrainian medalists posed toger with ir blue and yellow flags.

It wasn’t all about celebrating, though. Mahuchikh also recalled “almost 500 sportsman (who) died in this war.

“y will never compete. y will never celebrate. y will never feel this atmosphere,” she said, ding that her gold medal is “really for all of m.”

Mahuchikh succeeds Tokyo gold medalist Maria Lasitskene, a Russian who — along with everyone else from her country — has been banned from track and field’s international events since country inved Ukraine.

Russian rockets and missiles constantly kck out Ukraine’s power grid. But Gerashchenko said that electricity was working on Sunday,

“Today we have internet, we have light and on YouTube channel, around 160,000 people (watched) online,” she said.

Mahuchikh cleared 2.00 meters to finish ahe of Nicola Olyslrs of Australia, who also cleared 2.00 but n failed all three of her attempts at 2.02.

Elear Patterson of Australia and Gerashchenko shared bronze at 1.95.

Mahuchikh considered jumping again and could have tried to break world record of 2.10 that she set less than a month ago in ar Paris stium. But n she stopped and started celebrating.

Mahuchikh was asked why she didn’t make any furr attempts.

“Why t? I was Olympic champion,” she said.

Mahuchikh also gained curiosity for way she lies down and wraps herself up in a of sleeping bag between jumps. She said it helps her relax: “Sometimes I can watch clouds...t think about that I’m at a stium.”

Mahuchikh claimed first Olympic gold of her career, ding to bronze she won in Tokyo. She also won gold at last year’s world championships.

“It’s all medals for our country, Ukraine, for our defenders,” she said. “Only thank(s) (to) m we have opportunity to be here.”