Ukrainian High Jumper Kateryna Tabashnyk Trained Without a Track—And Still Won Silver in Poland

Ukrainian high jumper Kateryna Tabashnyk claimed silver at the Continental Tour event in Białystok, Poland — despite not having trained on a proper outdoor track ahead of the competition.

Due to poor weather conditions in Poland, where she is currently based, Tabashnyk prepared exclusively indoors and had no stadium sessions before the start of the outdoor season.

Nevertheless, she opened her campaign earlier this month by winning gold at the Ukrainian Team Championships with a jump of 1.89 meters — her best-ever outdoor season debut.

According to Suspilne Sport, the Białystok competition was part of the bronze level of the World Athletics Continental Tour and featured seven athletes, including world No. 8 Safina Sadullaeva of Uzbekistan. Tabashnyk was the only Ukrainian competitor, joining participants from Poland, Hungary, and the Dominican Republic.

Tabashnyk cleared 1.75 m, 1.80 m, 1.84 m, and 1.87 m with just one failed attempt along the way. Only she and Sadullaeva cleared the 1.87 m mark, setting up a direct battle for gold. At 1.90 m — a height Tabashnyk had cleared four times during the indoor season — she missed all three attempts. Sadullaeva succeeded on her first try and went on to attempt 1.93 m, securing the win.

Earlier this month, Tabashnyk opened her outdoor season by winning gold at the Ukrainian Team Championships with a jump of 1.89 meters — her highest-ever season opener. The result came despite a lack of stadium training, as she had prepared indoors due to poor weather conditions in Poland.

Who Is Kateryna Tabashnyk?

Kateryna Tabashnyk is a veteran member of Ukraine’s national athletics team and one of the country’s most accomplished high jumpers. Born in Kharkiv in 1994, she has been competing internationally for over a decade and remains a consistent figure in the European athletics circuit.

Tabashnyk holds a personal best of 1.99 meters, achieved during the 2022 indoor season — a mark that places her among the top Ukrainian jumpers of all time. Over the course of her career, she has won multiple national championships and reached finals at major international events.

In 2019, she won a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow with a 1.94-meter jump, becoming one of the few Ukrainian women in recent years to reach a continental podium. She has also competed regularly in the Diamond League and European Games, often finishing among the top contenders.

Her international record includes medals at World Athletics Continental Tour events, as well as strong results at the Universiade and Balkan Championships. Domestically, she has won numerous Ukrainian titles in both indoor and outdoor competition.

Despite facing challenges — including injury setbacks and disruptions caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Tabashnyk has continued to train and compete. She has spoken publicly about the difficulties of preparing while based in war-affected Kharkiv, where damage to sports infrastructure has limited access to training facilities.

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