Olympic Champion Sends Letter: Maguchikh’s Recount of Lasitskene Communication

Yaroslava Maguchikh, the Ukrainian track and field athlete who earned an Olympic bronze in 2020, recently disclosed a personal piece of correspondence from Olympic high jump champion Maria Lasitskene. The message arrived after the World Championships held in Oregon in July 2022 and was shared in detail during a discussion on a YouTube channel hosted by Evgenia Pronina. Maguchikh described how Lasitskene apologized for the delay in reaching out, explaining that at first the Russian athlete doubted whether his words of support would matter. According to Maguchikh, the message conveyed: the writer had questioned the value of his own support, wondered why he should reach out, and then decided to respond after reflecting on the World Cup results. The content of the message reflected a reaction to Maguchikh’s own public comments about not receiving messages, framing it as an opportunity to offer encouragement after a period of silence. Maguchikh’s account positions the note as a response to a prior interview in which she stated she had not heard from Lasitskene or his team. This exchange is presented as a moment of personal reconciliation or acknowledgment despite the broader, complex tensions that have arisen in the sport between Ukrainian and Russian athletes in recent years. The discussion situates Maguchikh within a distinguished competitive lineage, highlighting her achievements including the 2020 Olympic bronze, the 2023 world championship title, the 2022 European championship, the 2022 world indoor crown, and multiple European indoor titles in 2021 and 2023. It also notes her status as a world silver medalist in 2019 and 2022, as well as recognition as Ukrainian champion of the year in 2021. The narrative indicates that in August 2022 Lasitskene publicly stated that Maguchikh disassociated herself from him following a meeting involving Ukrainian institutions, a claim that was framed within the broader political discourse surrounding the sport. The material further references contemporaneous commentary from figures associated with the State Duma, underscoring a climate of political rhetoric surrounding Ukrainian athletes at that time. The overarching arc captures a tense moment in international athletics where personal, political, and athletic narratives intersect, illustrating how athletes navigate claims, apologies, and public messaging amid ongoing geopolitical strain.