Yaroslava Mahuchikh wins world indoor high jump gold after fleeing Ukraine

Australia’s athletics team is celebrating a double medal success at the world indoor championships in Belgrade with high jumper Eleanor Patterson soaring to silver and Ash Moloney battling to heptathlon bronze.

The pair both set national and Oceania indoor records as they opened the 15-strong team’s medal account, in the first world indoors to be staged in four years.

Patterson soared over the landmark two-metre mark for the first time in her distinguished career in the morning session to add one centimetre to her own Commonwealth record.

Eventually she lost out in a duel for gold with Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh (2.00m to 2.02m) in a compelling final that left the Belgrade Arena high on emotion as the 20-year-old victor had fled her war-torn homeland and endured a 2,000km car journey just to reach Serbia.

“It felt like a special competition out there,” explained 25-year-old Patterson, who was on her way to victory until a fighting, last-gasp clearance at 2.00m from Mahuchikh rescued her dream to win for her country.

“The hardships the Ukrainian athletes have gone through, no one deserves to go through. The journey they’ve gone on just to get here is incredible. I’m incredibly proud of Yaroslava and what’s she’s been able to do here. Amazing.

“I painted my nails blue with a yellow love heart on them today just to communicate a small gesture that my heart goes out to them.”

In the evening, Moloney, the exciting young multi-eventer, added another global medal to the Olympic decathlon bronze he won in Tokyo last year with a draining run in the final 1,000m, which followed his lifetime best 5.10m in the pole vault.

It was another precocious effort from the 22-year-old Queenslander, in his debut competition indoors.

Moloney