Want to see the best high jump field of the season? Then, check out the Banksa Bystrica, meeting, that occurs on 15 February 2022. The meet is one of the most iconic single event meetings on the globe. Central Europe is fortunate to have the meetings organized by our friend, Alfons Juck. The Czech Indoor Gala just happened, and the Golden Spike was held last summer.
What this meeting is about is the finest jumpers in the world getting together for a one-of-a-kind jump competition. Make sure you get to see it. The Banksa Bystrica puts together highlights and YouTube video.
Yaroslav Mahuchikh interviewed by Alfons Juck, photo via streaming from Stuart Weir
This meet has a tremendous reputation. I want to visit this meet in the next couple of meets. It would be an excellent global Tv experience. Perhaps, a savvy global brand will someday help Banksa Bystrica.
Yaroslav Mahuchihk clearing 2.06m, photo via TV by Stuart Weir
That Mariya Lasitskene is opening her season at Bankska Bystrica is significant. Mariya thrives on competition, as does Yaroslav. This could be the best competition of the year, higher than WCH Oregon 22.
That Yaroslav Mahuchikh, who jumped 2.06m last year at the meet is back also. Those two alone would make the meet exciting. The field that has been constructed by Alfons Juck and his team is just, well monstrous.
Mariya Lasitskene is due to make her season’s debut at the prestigious Banska Bystrica high jump meeting in Slovakia on 15 February, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting.
Lasitskene was forced to cancel a number of planned competitions due to illness but the reigning world, Olympic, and European champion is due to make a belated season’s debut in Banska Bystrica next Tuesday when she will be looking for her third victory having triumphed in 2018 and 2019.
Lasitskene is part of an elite line-up in the women’s competition which features five athletes who have cleared 2.00m or higher including two-time winner Yaroslava Mahuchikh from Ukraine who memorably soared clear at 2.06m twelve months ago, one of the highlights of the entire indoor season.
Mariya Lasitskene, photo via You Tube
That first-time clearance at 2.06m from Mahuchikh was not only a meeting record but also eclipsed the Ukrainian record of 2.05m which had been held by Inha Babakova since 1995, six years before Mahuchikh was born. That clearance was also the highest jump ever achieved by a teenager.
The women’s line-up also features her Ukrainian teammate Yuliya Levchenko as well as European silver medallist Mirela Demireva from Bulgaria and Italy’s Alessia Trost, one of Lasitskene’s rivals dating back to their U20 days.
Mahuchikh’s training partner Iryna Herashchenko is also due to compete along with joint world leaders Emily Borthwick from Great Britain and Montenegro’s Marija Vukovic, both of whom cleared 1.95m in Hustopece on Saturday to finish first and second respectively on countback.
The men’s line-up is headed by Olympic fourth-placer Sang-Hyeok Woo from South Korea who cleared a world lead of 2.36m in Hustopece on Saturday evening. The assembled field also features Ju’Vaughn Harrison from the United States and Luis Enrique Zayas from Cuba along with leading European jumpers Ilya Ivanyuk, an authorized neutral athlete who won bronze at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko.
