Ukraine’s Olympic and world champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh notched up her 22nd Diamond League victory in a high jump shoot-out with Australian Nicola Olyslagers in Katowice Friday.

The women’s high jump was one of three disciplines along with the women’s shot put and women’s pole vault that were held in the main square of the southwestern Polish city.

The main Silesia Diamond League meet will be held in neighbouring Chorzow today, when Olympic champion Noah Lyles goes head-to-head with Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in a much-anticipated re-match of last year’s Paris Games 100m final.

The high jump predictably turned into a battle between the two clear favourites.

Mahuchikh cleared 2.00 metres at her second attempt to heap the pressure on her Australian rival, the two-time defending indoor champion who won silver medals at the last two Olympics.
But it proved to be too much and Olyslagers had to be content with second place in 1.97m behind the world record holder who has now bagged three wins on the circuit this season.

Germany’s Imke Onnen was a distant third with a best of 1.91m.

Only three other jumpers of the 10-strong field made the 1.88m mark in blistering heat and in front of a big crowd packed into temporary stands.

Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands wrapped up victory in the women’s shot put with a best of 19.66m on her fifth of six attempts.

The two-time European champion saw off competition from Germany’s reigning Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye (19.50m), with American Maggie Ewen rounding out the podium, a further centimetre adrift.

Victory in the pole vault went to France’s Marie-Julie Bonnin, who managed a best of 4.70m. She failed three times at what would have been a new personal best of 4.77m.
Hungary’s Hanga Klekner took second with 4.60m on countback from Americans Brynn King and Hana Moll.

Start-up Grand Slam Track struggling to compensate athletes

Grand Slam Track is struggling to compensate its athletes after pulling its final meet of the year in Los Angeles, CEO Michael Johnson said Friday, adding that the start-up did not receive funding that had been committed to it.

The track circuit lured in top talent with promises of massive paydays in its debut year but was forced to cancel the fourth and final meet on the calendar after trimming back another event in Philadelphia from three to two days.

Last month, Front Office Sports reported that Grand Slam Track owed around $13 million to athletes who had participated. “It is incredibly difficult to live with the reality that you’ve built something bigger than yourself while simultaneously feeling like you’ve let down the very people you set out to help,” Johnson said in a statement.

“We promised that athletes would be fairly and quickly compensated. Yet, here we are struggling with our ability to compensate them.”

The four-time Olympic gold medallist said the start-up was unable to meet dated payment timelines after it did not receive funding committed to it.

“We saw circumstances change in ways beyond our control,” Johnson said.

Despite this, Johnson said Grand Slam Track has no plans to shut down and would move forward with a 2026 season after its athletes have been paid.