Ukrainian Athlete Liudmyla Olianovska Breaks Indoor 5,000m World Record, Becomes First Under 20 Minutes

Ukrainian racewalker Liudmyla Olianovska has set a historic indoor world record in the 5,000-meter event, securing the title during the opening day of the Ukrainian Athletics Championships in Kyiv.

This was reported by Suspilne Sport on February 27.

Crossing the finish line with an unprecedented time of 19 minutes and 53 seconds, Olianovska became the first racewalker in history to break the 20-minute threshold for this distance. The performance shattered the previous world record, held by Italian athlete Eleonora Giorgi since 2014, by a decisive eight-second margin.

This milestone positions Olianovska as the second active Ukrainian track and field athlete to command a global record. She joins high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who established the current 2.10-meter world record in 2024.

Mahuchikh herself continues to assert her dominance on the international stage. According to a February 8 report by Suspilne Sport, the world record holder recently secured a gold medal at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, edging out her Ukrainian teammate, Yuliia Levchenko, in a direct head-to-head contest.

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The seven-athlete field ultimately narrowed to the two Ukrainians. The decisive battle escalated at the 1.94-meter mark, which Mahuchikh cleared on her first attempt while Levchenko required three. Both athletes successfully navigated 1.96 meters.

The competition concluded at 1.98 meters, with Mahuchikh clearing the bar to secure first place. Levchenko's performance earned her second place and marked her season best. Continuing her momentum, Mahuchikh successfully cleared 2.01 meters on her second attempt before concluding her jumps at the 2.04-meter mark.

Earlier, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina officially reclaimed her position in the global top 10 for the first time in five years, according to the latest Women’s Tennis Association rankings.

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