Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the Ukrainian world-record holder in the high jump who won the Olympic gold medal in that event at Stade de France on Sunday night, has now gained attention for more than her leaping ability and compelling backstory—Mahuchikh was forced to flee her country because of the Russian invasion. During her gold-medal winning performance, fans new to high jumping wondered: What was the deal with Mahuchika’s sleeping bag?
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Between jumps, Mahuchika was seen lying under a green bedroll, and appeared to either be napping or mediating or otherwise zoning out.
“I feel comfortable when I lay and sometimes I can watch the clouds,” Mahuchikh said after winning gold, when asked by TIME about her between-jump routine. “Sometimes I can count numbers, 1,2,3,4, or breathe in, breathe out. It’s like, relax, [and] not think about that I’m at [the] stadium.”
Her methods paid off on Sunday, as Mahuchikh cleared the 2-m (6.56-feet) bar without knocking it over to clinch gold.
According to the New York Times, Mahuchikh’s routine began in 2018, the year she won high-jump at the Youth Olympic Games. “Serhii Stepanov, who helps to coach her along with his wife, Tetiena Stepanova, suggested that sitting too long between jumps allowed the blood to pool in Mahuchikh’s legs,” the Times reported. “So the sleeping bag idea was born. Whenever Mahuchikh enters the high-jump area at a competition, she carries a backpack that contains a yoga mat, her sleeping bag, and a change of socks. Sometimes, she wears a hoodie.
Mahuchikh said she gets a new sleeping bag every season. “Because we have spikes,” she said on Sunday at her medalist press conference, the silver and bronzer winners beside her. “It’s really difficult. But I advise all girls to have this mat and blanket because it’s really comfortable to lay in different weather. because when it’s raining, it’s OK. It never gets hot because it’s a camping blanket.”
That’s some free advice to the competition!
“Obsessed with how Yaroslava Mahuchikh climbs into a sleeping bag,” wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter. This photo of a seemingly asleep Mahuchinkh should be iconic in no time.
While Mahuchikh’s bag was a source of curiosity, it’s still important to note the importance of her victory in Ukraine, which is still under siege by Russian forces. “She is the emblem, the symbol of resistance,” said Olena Kalabanea, from outside the Stade de France before the night’s competition started. Kalabanea lives in Paris with her husband and seven-year-old son, who were at the Olympics with her, but her parents and extended family live in Ukraine.
“Almost 500 sportsmen have died in this war,” Mahuchinkh said. “They will never compete. They will never celebrate. They will never fill this atmosphere. I’m happy with the gold medal. It’s really for all of them.”
