Why Ukrainian high jumper wrapped herself in a sleeping bag after winning Olympic gold medal

A Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist has hit the headlines after her unusual routine helped her to success in Paris.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, 22, claimed gold at the Olympics in the women's high jump after her first-time effort at 2.00m pipped Nicola Olyslagers.

But it is not only her success that has caught the news, with an obscure relaxation method seemingly helping her to glory.

Athletes are often forced to endure long waits in the stadium between competitors and the sport of high jump is no different.

What you do in that time is completely up to you and each athlete will have alternative methods to keep their minds on the task.

Mahuchikh's own particular downtime involves a sleeping bag in which she lays down to help her to focus and in order to relax.

“I feel comfortable when I lay and sometimes I can watch the clouds,” Mahuchikh said after winning gold, when asked by TIME about her between-jump routine.

“Sometimes I can count numbers, 1,2,3,4, or breathe in, breathe out.

"It's like, relax, [and] not think about that I'm at [the] stadium.”

According to the New York Times, Mahuchikh’s routine began in 2018, the year she won high-jump at the Youth Olympic Games.

The report claims that Serhii Stepanov, who helps to coach her along with his wife, Tetiena Stepanova, suggested that sitting too long between jumps allowed the blood to pool in Mahuchikh’s legs.

Whenever Mahuchikh enters the high-jump area at a competition, she carries a backpack that contains a yoga mat, her sleeping bag, and a change of socks.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh relaxes at the Paris Olympics 2024

A report on her unusual tactic found that high-jumpers can often face waits of up to 20 minutes to half an hour.

Silver medalist Olyslagers keeps herself alert by writing in a journal as she smiles away but Mahuchikh prefers to chill out by cocooning herself in a sleeping bag bought from a camping store.

The 22-year-old admits she gets a new sleeping bag every season and offered an insight into why at a press conference on Sunday, saying: “It's really difficult [because we have spikes]. But I advise all girls to have this mat and blanket because it's really comfortable to lay in different weather, because when it's raining, it's OK.

"It never gets hot because it's a camping blanket.”