High jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine calls herself an 'ambassador' for her country

TOKYO (AP) — Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine won only a bronze medal Sunday in the high jump on the final day of the world championships in Tokyo.

Of course, she was disappointed. “It wasn't the result I wanted,” she said.

She is, after all, the defending Olympic champion and the world-record holder in the event (2.10 meters). She was also the defending champion from the 2023 worlds in Budapest.

But she has a much more important, high-visibility job.

“I feel I’m an ambassador for Ukraine,” she said. "The war in Ukraine continues and athletes try to do their best to attract attention, to show we are a strong nation, and we’ll never give up.”

“I’m so thankful to the Ukrainian people for supporting and watching in this difficult time," she added, “to find the time to watch track and field.”

Sunday's high jump was interrupted several times by heavy downpours in Tokyo, a minor distraction compared to life in Ukraine and in Mahuchikh's hometown of Dnipro.

People are pelted there almost daily with rockets and missiles, she said.

“All I can say is it’s tough conditions all over Ukraine,” she said, a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag draped over her shoulders. "Every day a rocket attack. Every night a rocket attack. People are not sleeping. Yesterday, it was a missile attack in my city.

“Nothing has changed from 2022," she added. "We continue fighting.”

Nicola Olyslagers of Australia won gold with a jump of 2 meters with silver for Maria Zodzik of Poland also at 2 meters. Mahuchikh shared bronze with Angelina Topic of Serbia, tied at 1.97 meters.

“It's such an honor to share a medal with such an athlete,” Topic said. “Such an honor for my life.”

Mahuchikh, who turned 24 just a few days ago, said she hasn't been home in almost a year, training in Portugal and Estonia with an apartment in Belgium.

She described what it might be like trying to remain and train in Ukraine amid daily bombardment — or fear of bombardment.

“I understand if I want to get results — to get medals — I should train outside because in Ukraine every time there is a rocket attack and you go to a shelter,” she said. "It’s impossible to train to get the highest results.”

She said her family left the country to visit her earlier this year. She’s planning a trip home this fall and said death from the war has not touched her family.

“My family is in Ukraine and they want to be in Ukraine,” she said "And if I wouldn’t be an athlete I’d be in Ukraine because it’s my country. My family in Dnipro says if they die it’s OK.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh competes in the women's high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh competes in the women's high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Gold medalist Australia's Nicola Olyslagers, second left, celebrates with silver medalist Poland's Maria Żodzik, second right, and joint bronze medal winners Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh, left, and Serbia's Angelina Topic, right, following the women's high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh gestures in the women's high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh celebrates taking the bronze in the women's high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New England Patriots defensive lineman Christian J. Barmore is facing a domestic assault and battery charge after his girlfriend told police he threw her to the ground in August at his home outside Boston.

A criminal complaint issued Dec. 18 claims Barmore, 26, briefly took the woman's phone, threw her to the ground and grabbed her by the shirt inside the home in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Mansfield Police Sgt. John Armstrong said the woman called police on Aug. 25 to report what had occurred almost three weeks earlier. The woman told police she had stayed at the home periodically during their relationship of several years.

Barmore's lawyer, David Meier, issued a statement Wednesday saying “the evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place.” Meier called it a personal matter and said he expected it to be "resolved in the near future and both parties will move forward together.”

The woman told police she took their daughter early the morning of Aug. 8 into Barmore's bedroom, where Barmore was upset because the thermostat was 2 degrees warmer than he preferred. She said their daughter wanted to see him.

She claimed Barmore “picked up the child, placed her on the floor just outside the master bedroom, turned back into the room and slammed the door shut,” according to police.

As the woman packed her belongings to leave later in the day, Barmore took the phone from her hand and disconnected a call with the woman's mother, according to the criminal complaint. When she headed for the front door to call for help, police said, Barmore allegedly “grabbed her before she could and threw her to the floor."

Barmore grabbed her by the shirt but “eventually let go” and the woman got up, she told police. A car provided by the team picked up the woman and their daughter and drove them to Delaware. She provided police with a photo showing bruises she said occurred when she was thrown to the floor.

New England coach Mike Vrabel said Barmore was away from the team with an illness Wednesday but that he hadn’t heard anything that would make him unavailable to play Sunday.

“We’ve made a statement and we’ve taken the allegations very seriously,” Vrabel said, referring to allegations against both Barmore and receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs has been charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery in a dispute with his former private chef.

“I don’t think we have to jump to any sort of conclusions right now. Let the process take its toll,” Vrabel said.

An arraignment was scheduled for early February. The charge is a misdemeanor.

The team's public relations office emailed a statement saying it had been aware of the matter when it occurred and notified the league.

“The matter remains part of an ongoing legal process. We will respect that process, continue to monitor the situation closely, as we have over the past few months, and cooperate fully with the league,” the Patriots said.

Barmore was a second-round pick in 2021 out of the University of Alabama.

Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Foxborough, Massachusetts, contributed to this report.

FILE - New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) warms up before an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)