Yaroslava Mahuchik and Faith Kipyegon both set world records at the Diamond League athletics meet in Paris on Sunday, with the Ukrainian high jumper first breaking a mark that had stood for 37 years, and then the Kenyan middle-distance runner breaking the 1,500-meter mark set last June.
World champion Mahuchik was ecstatic with her new record of 2.10 meters. “I went into the competition with the feeling that I could jump 2.07 meters, maybe even 2.10 meters,” Mahuchik said. “I have finally put Ukraine in the history books at the World Championships.” The previous record was 2.09 meters, set by Bulgaria’s Stevka Kostadinova in Rome in 1987.
The 22-year-old Mahucik and world indoor champion Nikola Oliaslagers both cleared 2.01 metres on their second attempt, after Oliaslagers had failed three times at 2.03 metres, before Mahucik cleared the height to seal the victory.
She then cleared 2.07 metres to set a Ukrainian record, before raising the bar to 2.10 metres, which she cleared on her first attempt.
In the final event of the tournament, Kipyegon, with the help of two pacemakers, clocked an impressive 3:49.04, seven hundredths of a second faster than his 3:49.11 recorded in Florence last year, and an impressive record in an event by a two-time Olympic champion.
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Jessica Hull came second in an Australian record time of 3:50.83, the fifth fastest time ever, while Great Britain’s Laura Muir came third in a British record time of 3:53.79. Of the 13 finishers, only two did not set a personal best.