Mahuchikh rises to the occasion to hint at greatness for Ukraine

High jumper wins country’s second gold after Kharlan's fencing triumph on Saturday

- Nick Ames

Yaroslava Mahuchikh tied her orange trainers, prepared her run-up and could hardly suppress a smile. She would be Olympic champion: that was certain after Nicola Olyslagers, her likeable Australian rival, had missed her third attempt to clear 2.02 metres.

This attempt at 2.04m would be ceremonial, procedural, a glory run with the spoils already assured. Like the silver medallist it turned out she could not quite clear the bar, but that hardly mattered. Within minutes she was parading a Ukraine flag around the track with her compatriot Iryna Gerashchenko, who took joint bronze, and the crowd rose to acclaim a talent capable of becoming an alltime great.

The previous night Olha Kharlan, the national fencing icon, had led Ukraine to their first gold of this most meaningful Olympic Games by inspiring a stunning turnaround in the women's team sabre event. It happened 16 years after Kharlan's first title on this stage and the moment felt profoundly appropriate. Now Mahuchikh, an astonishing competitor who has her best years ahead of her, can be added to the sparkling list of women who are laying bare a nation's resilience for the world to see.