The debut Absolute World Championships in athletics have begun in Budapest — a tournament to which the organizers invited only the world's elite in the sport. Unlike familiar competitions, the stars were given a ceremonial red-carpet entrance, turning the opening ceremony into a true show. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official tournament website. Against this backdrop, the spotlight fell on Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the leader of the Ukrainian high jump team, who decided to step away from a strict sports style.

A red carpet for the elite

The format of the new tournament underscores its status: only the best athletes on the planet take the start, and their appearance is staged in the spirit of a grand show. According to Mahuchikh herself, such an organization added motivation for her before the competition. The organizers thereby set a high emotional tone for the entire tournament, which is held in Budapest and brings together the strongest in various athletics disciplines.

The 'sunny' look and a talisman from Dnipro

For the ceremony, Mahuchikh chose a yellow T-shirt and a special talisman — the Dnipro hometown pendant, which, according to her, she always carries with her. "Initially, there was supposed to be a slightly different plan, but it turned out to be this 'sunny' look. Especially thanks to the Dnipro hometown pendant, which I always carry with me. It's really cool that they made a red carpet for the athletes — it added motivation," the athlete shared her impressions in a comment for Suspilne Sport.

Prize fund and motivation

The tournament's substantial prize fund deserves separate attention: the winner will receive 150,000 dollars, whereas at a regular World Championship this amount is 70,000. At the same time, Mahuchikh emphasized that she goes to the sector primarily for the thrill of the fight, not for the money. This mindset underscores that for the leader of the Ukrainian team, the main thing remains the process of competition itself and the fight for the highest results.

Budapest — the city of her first title

The choice of Budapest as the venue holds special value for Mahuchikh: it was in this city that she won her first World Championship title. The athlete is determined to repeat her success and "take all the heights on the first attempt." Alongside her, two more Ukrainians — Iryna Herashchenko and Yulia Levchenko — will compete for the tournament's prizes, making the national team's high jump lineup one of the key ones in this discipline.

Schedule and broadcast

The final sector for the women's high jump will begin on Friday, September 11, at 20:13 Kyiv time. A live broadcast of the competition will be available on the Suspilne Sport platforms and on the local Suspilne channels. It is separately noted that World Athletics has confirmed the ban on Russians and Belarusians, so they are not represented at the tournament. Thus, the debut Absolute World Championships in Budapest become for Ukrainian athletics both an emotional and a sporting event with a high stake on the result.