br>
The athletics media space was unexpectedly stirred up by the message of the world high jump champion from Ukraine Yaroslava Maguchikh. In an interview on Evgeniya Pronina’s YouTube channel, the Ukrainian reported how Russian Olympic champion Maria Lasitskene wrote her a letter. The Sport correspondent tells what the Ukrainian athlete kept silent about.
Since not everyone who watched Maguchikh’s interview or read quotes from it understood what was being said, it is necessary to provide an explanation. To begin with, Evgeniy Pronin, to whom the athlete gave an interview, is the acting president of the Athletics Federation of Ukraine (AFAU). A small but telling detail: in the time code of the video, the last name Lasitskene is written with a small letter, although other names are capitalized.
But the point is different. The Ukrainian athlete said that she received a letter from the Russian “after the World Championships in Oregon.” Not everyone follows athletics closely enough to understand that we are talking about the events of the summer of 2022, when this tournament took place.
“
“Yes, I received a message after the world championships in Oregon. But, you know, there was this message: “Sorry I didn’t write earlier. I thought you didn’t need this, why do you need this. My support and words are optional.»
I sat down and thought about writing to me after the World Championships, when I gave so many interviews that there was no message from her. I think she reacted to that. Because many media outlets then began to write that there was no reaction, although they performed together and competed in the same sector. And only after that she wrote to me.
«
It would have been different if she had written to us in the first days of February 2022. Because the girls were in bomb shelters, and so was I. And so — no reaction. First she wrote a letter to Thomas Bach. It was before this. There was more about the fact that they cannot perform, and that’s all.
“
She supported me as an athlete and a girl with whom competed. But then she wrote “I know that you won’t understand me.” I simply lost this desire when even earlier I was waiting for something. But after the World Cup it was already too late for me. I just told everyone, gave interviews to everyone, and only after that she wrote. I have this feeling.»
In fact, Maguchikh already talked about the letter from Lasitskene last year — just in less detail. Maria herself spoke about the letters to the Ukrainian athlete and the IOC President — and in detail. Let us recall quotes from the interview that the Olympic champion gave to Sport in August 2022. We present them all in full, since in this case it is important.
br>— How did the idea of writing an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach come about?
— Bach gave comments in which he contradicted himself. A person who stands guard over sporting unity and the Olympic Charter, on the one hand, says that no one should suffer because of their citizenship. On the other hand, he gives recommendations not to let us in. And these recommendations, naturally, are listened to.
We can already release an album consisting of open letters. How many of them were written… But I decided to write one more — to expand on his theses. After all, what was his duplicity? He says that it is dangerous for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete, but we see that tennis players travel around the world and everything is calm everywhere. We leave the British out of the equation. So let him just tell the athletes — you are Russians, you are all responsible for what is happening. And you are punished for it. But there is no need to tell athletes that they are being suspended for their safety. Why fuss?
— So that it is not called discrimination.
— So everyone already understands that all this is due to the fact that I am from Russia. And this is the main message of the letter. Tell it like it is. There is no need to hide behind supposed concern for us. Just say that we are all to blame.
— Part of your letter was devoted to the events in Ukraine…
— Yes, second paragraph. And from an emotional point of view, I really needed that second paragraph. Which concerned the situation in Ukraine and relations with athletes from Ukraine. I wanted to speak out in an open space about how I was experiencing this. But this worked against me. As if no one had read this second paragraph… They also accused me of daring to fight for my career at such a time.
— Under your open letter, most of the comments were of this content . Ukrainian high jumper Yulia Levchenko spoke in exactly this vein.
— Yes, they saw in this letter only my desire to fight for the right to speak. But I understood perfectly well at that moment that I would not be allowed anywhere. And I thought it was important to touch on this topic in this letter, to say that I don’t know how I will look them in the eyes. That I am very worried about them.
But my huge mistake, it seems to me, was that I did not find the courage to write to them immediately after the events began in Ukraine. And it oppresses and destroys me. At that time I was sure that they did not need my words. And when I said them, they didn’t believe me. They thought I was a career woman who didn't care what was going on. Although I, with my naivety and kindness, sincerely hoped that, having known me for so many years, they understood what was happening to me. Even if this cannot be compared with what is happening to them, who are far from home and worry about their loved ones. But they, apparently, expected a different reaction from me.
— Which?
— I think they were waiting for a letter. But not to them, but to another person.
They probably have the right to do so, but they did not understand me. Of course, these situations are incomparable, but after the Tokyo Olympics I understood them, but now they don’t understand me.
—What do you mean?
— When Yaroslava Maguchikh and I hugged at the Tokyo Olympics, certain structures in Ukraine later had a conversation with her, and she wrote on her social network “the enemy does not sleep” and so on, and renounced this act and me. Then this situation was discussed for a whole month, and no one stood up — neither other Ukrainian girls, nor Sergei Bubka, no one said that this was an athlete and there was no need to insult her. Everyone remained silent, as if what was happening was the norm. But I understood them. In no case do I have any grudge against them.
< br>
In general, this topic is very difficult for me… And no matter what I say, I think they will take it wrong , how I mean it.
— Yaroslava reported in the press a few days ago that you wrote to her.< /strong>
“I didn’t just write to her. I don’t want to say names so as not to put additional pressure on the girls. I talked to some Ukrainian women online. I sent Yaroslava a long letter after her silver at the World Championships. Apparently it has been read. There has been no answer yet. In general, I congratulated all the girls who won the World Championships. Everyone answered except Yaroslava.
— Maguchikh gave her answer publicly — in the spirit that it was necessary to write earlier.
— I expected this. That whatever the content of this letter, the answer will be “you should have done it differently” or “you were late.” It’s not for me to judge anyone, since we don’t know how we would behave if we were in their situation.
— What did you write to her?
— That I admire her fortitude. And I tried to explain to her what was in me, what was wrong with me. She apologized for writing only now and explained why. And she ended like this: “Most likely, you won’t understand me.” But she shouldn’t understand me. Nobody should.
The world is now structured in such a way that if you have not done something publicly, you are automatically guilty. But, on the other hand, just because you took a knee doesn’t mean you won’t speak out about the BLM movement in a completely different way in your kitchen at home. It’s the same in the situation we’re talking about: you can write any hashtag on a social network, but it will have nothing to do with what you really think. We do not live in a world of hashtags or in a world of public statements.
If our removal could help make it all end, I would agree with it. If I could give up all my titles for this, I would. But suspending athletes will not change anything. Therefore, the meaning of the letter to Bach was also this: by removing us, you did not stop one process, but started another, which you will no longer be able to stop.
br>— Maguchikh said that you are no longer her idol. Did this comment offend you?
— Not the comment itself. Other. Two weeks before the start of all the events, we were together at tournaments. And Ukrainian girls know very well how I and Gennady Garikovich feel about them. The fact that the events taking place changed their attitude towards me personally, this destroyed me.
— Will you write something else to Ukrainian athletes, if this is so important to you? Or are you now waiting for an answer from them?
— If they write to me something, of course, I will answer. I really want to write to Yulia Levchenko, but I’m still afraid. In the comment she left under my letter to Bach, she said that it turns out that they communicated with me despite the fact that this could affect their reputation… I have a different approach to life in this regard. After all, you communicate or make friends with people who are close to you, with whom you enjoy, who you like. And you worry about them. And you can’t divide friends by nationality or citizenship.
— Why didn’t they answer her at that moment?
—I didn’t read that comment right away, otherwise I would have responded then. But I was so in my fears that I left Instagram a long time ago (the activities of Meta (social networks Facebook and Instagram) are prohibited in Russia as extremist). And I don’t go there so as not to return to these emotions. Only recently I read Yulia’s comment in full, and it really, so to speak, “took me away”…
Now for the actual explanation. As you know, Lasitskene and Maguchikh repeatedly met each other in the high jump sector. And at least Maria considered Yaroslava her friend. They talked a lot with each other, posed together for photos, but after one of these shots — namely at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo — Maguchi was accused in Ukraine of taking pictures with a Russian army officer (Lasitskene plays for CSKA — approx. ed.)
It is this incident that Lasitskene recalls in an interview — that Maguchikh, shortly after that story (but even before the start of the special military operation), publicly renounced it, declaring that “the enemy does not sleep.” But Maria reports that she understood her friend, as well as all the other Ukrainian athletes who did not stand up for Yaroslava at that moment. And I wasn’t offended by any of them.
And then the Olympic champion admits that she really didn’t find the courage to write to Maguchi and other Ukrainian athletes immediately after the outbreak of hostilities. Moreover, she calls the belief that they did not need her words a huge mistake.
But here it is necessary to further clarify: the letter that Lasitskene five months after the start The SVO sent by Maguchikh contained not only the theses that the Ukrainian athlete talks about. It was much more extensive. And his intonation is far from the same as Yaroslava presents it.
And finally, it is worth noting that Lasitskene sent letters to all the medalists of the World High Jump Championship — both in 2022 and 2023. And, so to speak, there was no silence in response from them. Maria generally received letters of support from many due to the fact that she, like all Russian track and field athletes, was suspended from competing at international tournaments. She just doesn’t want to talk about it publicly, because she considers it inappropriate.
Maguchi’s current statements in interviews will not reach Lasitskene. Maria does not read the news and does not find out what Yaroslava said about her. But, I think, if I had found out, I would have answered something like in the same interview in August 2022:
“
I tell myself: “You don’t have to be an ice cream to be loved by everyone.” loved. So that everyone understands you. Everyone has the right to draw their own conclusions. If you want to say something, you need to say it directly.» But I didn’t do this, hoping that my open letter (to Bach) would convey my thoughts to them. I was wrong.
And I would add on my own behalf, also addressing our Olympic champion: friendship is a multifaceted concept, and everyone puts their own personal philosophy of life into it. But, it seems to me, everyone has the same perception of the following: when you are truly friends, you understand that your friend is not a mirror or your clone, but a person with his own feelings and thoughts. A friend is not obliged to react to what is happening the way you expect from him. Well, you will always understand a true friend.
If not, well, life always puts everything in its place. Including filtering imaginary friends.