'Even before I called my parents, I understood that this was war'

Yaroslava Mahuchikh is amongst the Ukrainian athletes competing at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikha

On the outskirts of Belgrade yesterday, on a cool and breezy afternoon, six Ukrainian athletes walked together to an opulent hotel – there to pick up their competition kit ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

At events like this, athletes usually have their national kit before they leave home, but of course nothing has been normal in these athletes’ lives for quite some time. Among them, smiling and joking with her teammate, was Yaroslava Mahuchikh, one of the brightest stars in athletics, a 20-year-old with an Olympic medal, World Championship medal and a personal best of 2.06m – which means she can jump the height of a door.