Maria Żodzik wins European high jump silver in Birmingham weeks after neck injury from London fall

From London fall to Birmingham podium

Maria Żodzik arrived at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham with her participation in serious doubt. In mid-July, at a Diamond League meeting in London, she attempted 1.99m and fell not onto the mat but beside it, striking her spine against its edge. Her coach Paweł Wyszyński disclosed that she suffered a neck injury, and footage of the incident only surfaced on the day of the final, broadcast by TVP Sport. The 29-year-old could not turn her head for a month and managed only two jumps in the entire build-up to the championships. She made the decision to compete only on Wednesday, two days before the final.

A nervous opening

The final on Saturday evening at Alexander Stadium began badly for the Polish jumper. She knocked the bar down twice at the opening height of 1.83m, raising the possibility that the world championship silver medalist could be the first competitor eliminated. She cleared 1.83m on her third attempt, then found her rhythm: 1.88m on the first attempt and 1.92m on the second. When the bar moved to 1.95m, only five athletes remained, and Żodzik soared over on her first attempt.

1.83m3

1.88m1

1.92m2

1.95m1

1.97m0

1.83m

3 attempts

1.88m

1 attempts

1.92m

2 attempts

1.95m

1 attempts

1.97m

0 attempts

Data from the article text

She said afterwards that the cold conditions made the early part of the contest difficult.

“After that jump at 1.95 I felt I had a medal. The beginning of the competition was hard though. The cold was bothersome. Later I somehow managed to find myself on the approach. I'm very happy that I dealt with these adversities.”

Mahuczich takes gold at 1.97m

With Żodzik the first to clear 1.95m, she could watch her rivals attempt to match her. Only Ukraine's Jarosława Mahuczich and Montenegro's Marija Vuković succeeded, guaranteeing each of the three a medal. The bar then moved to 1.97m to decide the colour of each. Mahuczich cleared it, but neither Żodzik nor Vuković could follow, leaving the Ukrainian with gold, the Pole with silver and the Montenegrin with bronze. Angelina Topić, one of the pre-competition favourites, was eliminated at 1.88m. Julia Łewczenko had withdrawn due to injury two weeks before the event.

Cold evening tests the field

Conditions at Alexander Stadium were demanding. Temperatures did not exceed 17 to 19°C, with wind recorded at 4 m/s. Even Mahuczich registered a knock at 1.95m. Żodzik noted that she seems to thrive in complicated situations, pointing to her world championship silver in Tokyo the previous year, earned in a competition interrupted by heavy rain.

“It turns out I think I like these kinds of complicated situations.”

Four-medal evening for Poland

The high jump silver was part of a productive evening for the Polish team. Natalia Bukowiecka, the defending European 400m champion, took silver in 50.04s behind Norway's Henriette Jæger. Bukowiecka had run 49.57 in the semifinal heat but said the colder final conditions did not allow her to approach her personal best. The women's 4x100m relay squad earned bronze, and Katarzyna Zdziebło had added silver in the morning session. For Bukowiecka, the Birmingham silver is her third individual European Championship medal, adding to gold from Rome two years ago and silver from Munich in 2022.