"I saw the video of that jump on YouTube in 2006 when I started working my way in the High Jump. As a Ukrainian kid my big idol was Sergey Bubka of course. I also tried the Pole Vault but I wasn’t talented for the gymnastics."
"The World Record obviously is a goal and I had many occasions this year to break it. The High Jump is a balance between physical abilities and technique. When I was jumping at world record heights this year the adrenaline pushed me physically so hard that I couldn’t get my technique right. That is something to work on."
"I was at my best at the European Championships in Zürich this year but the competition was held in cold and rainy conditions. That was very disappointing and it took a lot energy out of me. I don’t want to make any predictions for Friday, I hope that the weather and the conditions will be fine."
"Of course we Ukrainians are upset about what is happening in our country. My hometown is Charkov, at hardly 50 km from the Russian border. So far we are not affected by the conflict in our region but nobody can tell what will happen in the future. I try not to understand politics and focus on my sports."
"Beating the World Record means that I want to jump 2.46m, not just equal the record at 2.45m. This year my bars were raised at 2.46m in New York and in Marrakesh. In New York I felt very strong, in Marrakesh the horrible winds were too disturbing. When you try these kinds of heights it feels good the first three or four times. After twenty times you start wondering "why am I trying this ?" and you must be careful not to get scared of jumping that high."
A quick rehearsal : the five athletes who jumped 2.40m or more this year and who line up next Friday are : Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR), Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT), Ivan Ukhov (RUS), Derek Drouin (CAN) and Andriy Protsenko (UKR).
03 September, 2014
