The high jumper Yuliia Levchenko has returned her place among the world’s elite. The 29-year-old athlet recently claimed silver at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń — a long-awaited breakthrough after years without a medal at major global events. Her previous podium finish on the world stage dated back to 2017, when she took silver at the World Championships in London.
After returned home, Levchenko opened up about the emotions behind her comeback — and the unlikely path that led her into athletics.
“Finally back on the podium”
— What does this silver medal mean to you?
“It feels amazing — really amazing. Finally, I made it back onto the podium. And it’s especially great that we had two Ukrainian athletes on the podium. That’s something to be proud of.”
“Girls didn’t want to play with me — I was too aggressive”
— How did it all begin? Who spotted your talent?
“My PE teacher, Tamara Kostiantynivna. I was a very active kid, always running around. They would put me in football and basketball games with the boys — because the girls didn’t want to play with me, I was too aggressive,” she says with a smile.
“She noticed how energetic I was. Then one day, at a school competition, an athletics coach came over and invited me to training. I was already quite tall — about 13 at the time, which is actually a great age to start in athletics.”
“At five, they told me I was already ‘too old’ for gymnastics”
Levchenko’s first steps in sport came in rhythmic gymnastics — but it didn’t last long.
“I started gymnastics when I was around five, and they told me I was already ‘a pensioner’ — that I should have started at three,” she recalls.
“That’s what’s great about athletics: you can start a bit later and still not miss your chance.”
At first, she hesitated to attend training.
“But my PE teacher literally took me by the hand and brought me to my first session.”
“I won gold — and my parents didn’t believe it”
— When did the first success come?
“I went to my first training, tried a few jumps — and I liked it. A few days later, maybe a week, I competed — and won gold.
I came home and said, ‘I won a gold medal.’ And my parents asked: ‘Are you sure you were competing in your own age group? How is that even possible?’”
— Did it come naturally to you?
“Yes, it should feel that way. If you have the ability and you enjoy it, things should come naturally. Of course, it gets harder later, but overall, it should always be enjoyable.”
“The nerves never change”
— Has the feeling of pressure in competition changed over the years?
“When I was 13 and now — the nerves feel exactly the same. The level of competition is higher, of course, but the feeling itself hasn’t changed.”
— How do you deal with it?
“You have to accept it. It’s part of the sport.”
