Day 9: Here’s what’s been happening at the YOG

Performance of the day

Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s gold medal in the women’s high jump was extra special for the Ukrainian, as it meant she was able to emulate her compatriot and idol Yuliya Levchenko.

Mahuchikh soared to the YOG title by clearing a new personal best of 1.95m in stage two of the competition, well clear of silver medallist Mariya Kochanova, of Russia, who beat her own personal record with 1.87m. The 17-year-old's gold medal follows that of Levchenko, who won the YOG title at Nanjing 2014 with a height of 1.89m.

“I am really inspired by Yuliya; she is my hero really,” said Mahuchikh after the event. "She is so beautiful and a very good high jumper!”

Levchenko, who has since gone on to win a silver medal at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, is attending Buenos Aires 2018 as a Young Change-Maker with the Ukrainian team, and Mahuchikh has been eager to learn from her.

"She has been supporting me and we have talked together quite a lot because she knows what this is like,” she said. "I feel very excited and so happy to win the gold medal like she did.”

Net gains

Beach handball has been one of the smash hits of Buenos Aires 2018, with thousands of Argentinians packing into Parque Sarmiento on Saturday to be there as Argentina won a historic gold medal in the women’s event. The National and International Federations are keen to capitalise on the popularity of the tournament, and today locals were able to try the sport themselves with the guidance of YOG athletes and members of Argentina’s senior men’s team, with a similar event being held the following day.

“Introducing people to beach handball around here means that more people know what it is, so that it can spread,” said Stephanie Floor, who played as goalkeeper for American Samoa during the women’s tournament.  “We were smiling and laughing the whole time; it was a lot of fun.”

Balancing act

Athlete Role Models (ARM) are not just here to pass on wisdom to the YOG athletes and enjoy the delights of Buenos Aires; many of them are managing their duties around their own training schedules as they prepare for upcoming events.

One such ARM is Olympic silver medallist Aída Román, who has been sharing the archery field, as well as the gym at the Youth Olympic Village, with the teenagers. “Most of the time, it is us shooting on the stage in front of the crowds,” said the Mexican while watching the first round of the men’s and women’s individual events this morning. “So for me, to see everything from behind the scenes, without the stress and pressure of competition, has been pretty cool.”

Quote of the day

“I have no fear of heights, so it’s easy for me!"

Germany’s pole vault gold medallist Leni Freyja Wildgrube played down her achievement on the Olympic Channel’s #YOGdaily show.