EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — It took three days by car for high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh to escape from Ukraine.
She can only guess at how long it will take to get back. Mahuchikh heard gunfire and could sometimes see shells raining down miles away.
She could never shake the fear that when she said goodbye to her mom and dad, it might have been for the last time.
Four months after that trip to Serbia, the 20-year-old is gearing up for the track and field world championships in Oregon.
She is favored to win a gold medal in part because her main rival, three-time world champion Maria Lasitskene, is Russian and not allowed to compete because of the war.
