At the Ukrainian Youth Athletics Championships in Lutsk on June 15, 12-year-old Matviy Strohalyev vaulted 4.00 meters—surpassing the 3.97 m U14 indoor record set by Olympic champion Armand Duplantis in 2012—and celebrated with a backflip caught on video.
At the Lutsk championship, Strohalyev entered the U14 pole vault final as the youngest qualifier. After steady clearances at 3.40 m, 3.60 m and 3.80 m, he nailed 4.00 m on his last attempt, eclipsing Armand Duplantis' nearly decade-old mark. Overjoyed, he celebrated with a somersault that quickly went viral among athletics fans.
12-year-old Matviy Strogalev breaks two-time Olympic champion’s record
— Devana 🇺🇦 (@DevanaUkraine) June 15, 2025
A 12-year-old Ukrainian caused a sensation at the National Junior Athletics Championships by clearing 4.00 m and winning bronze. He became the youngest competitor in the competition and cleared 3.40, 3.60 and… pic.twitter.com/9GDJUtGaBm
Swedish world-record holder Armand Duplantis reacted on social media, posting “Great work” beneath a clip of Strohalyev’s jump—a succinct endorsement from the very athlete whose record was bested.
In an Instagram interview, Strohalyev admitted surprise at his performance. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to clear that height. The wind was tricky, and during warm-ups I thought I’d struggle. But I switched poles, took a deep breath and it just clicked,” he said. “I could have jumped higher, but once the adrenaline faded, fatigue set in” .
Strohalyev comes from a family of vaulters: his mother, Anzhela Balakhonova, won silver at the 1999 World Championships, and his father, Vadym Strohalyev, competed internationally for Russia. He already boasts a training best of 5.85 m, indicating the 4.00 m vault is only the first step in a meteoric rise.
As he looks ahead to 2026, Strohalyev says he’s setting loftier goals. “This is just the start,” he declared. “Now that I’ve seen what’s possible, I want to see how far I can really go.” .
Earlier, the second national amputee football tournament—the Spring Cup of the “League of the Mighty”—concluded in Kyiv on May 11, featuring eight teams of athletes with limb differences competing at the Viktor Bannikov Training Complex. The event, celebrated for fostering inclusion and teamwork, was part of an adaptive sports initiative recently honored at the UEFA FootbALL Awards 2025.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
