Ivan Sergeyevich Ukhov (; born 29 March 1986) is a Russian high jumper. He won a gold medal at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships and is a two-time European Indoor champion (2009 and 2011). He was also the silver medallist at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and the winner of the high jump at the inaugural 2010 IAAF Diamond League. In the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won the gold medal, but it was later stripped for a doping violation.
Ukhov has broken the Russian national record indoors four times: jumping on 28 January 2007 in Moscow; besting that with a jump on 25 February 2009 in Athens. His best outdoor effort, , was set in Cheboksary on 5 July 2012. His leap of in 2009 made him the 11th man in history to jump 2.40 or better, and only four of those men have jumped higher (indoors and out); only three men have jumped higher indoors (Patrik Sjöberg, 2.41 in 1987; Carlo Thränhardt, 2.42 in 1988, and Javier Sotomayor, 2.43 in 1993).High Jump All Time. IAAF (22 December 2010). Retrieved 31 January 2011.
Career Early career Ukhov gave an interview for an IAAF news report in May 2013, while "training" with a Moscow-area basketball team. In between dunks, he said, "I played basketball for about 10 years, between the ages of seven and 16 for my school team. I became the best player in my town and region." Previously, in a July 2010 interview for BBC News, Ukhov – whom friends call Vanya – said his love of sports began at age 7 when his mother enrolled him in basketball: "After nine years of playing it I quarrelled with my coach and decided to take up a different, individual sport. I was quite big and chose discus, then at the age of 17 I tried the high jump. After training for about a year I set the Russian junior record and decided that it would be easier to carry on jumping than discus", he said.BBC News, Sport, 26 July 2010, Ivan Ukhov determined to hit new heights; interview by Rafael Saakov for BBC Russian; accessed 6 March 2011 In a May 2014 interview Ukhov further elaborated that, in his first year of throwing the discus he did well enough to compete at the Russian Junior Championships in 2004. At that meet he (somehow) entered the High Jump and with no coaching he won by clearing . Ukhov immediately dropped the discus and began to learn proper high jump mechanics, he established a personal best of on 28 June 2004. One year later he improved to (on 4 July 2005) at a meet in Tula, Russia, and he won the European Junior Championship in 2005 with a leap of He represented Russia at the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, but failed to qualify amongst the top 12 jumpers on 13 July, and did not make the finals.
He won the gold medal at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships (age 19 and under), held in Kaunas. He was the only competitor to clear 2.23, and said afterwards "I feel a bit confused. I still can not believe that I am a winner."Official Russian Athletics News press release, 24 July 2005; top medal table in Kaunas before last day; accessed 6 March 2011
2006 Ukhov's performances in 2006 confirmed that he was better indoors than outside. On Monday 16 January 2006, jumping in the first leg of the Moravia High Jump Tour in Trinec, he won the competition with a first attempt clearance of 2.28, and was the only competitor who was really close at 2.30.Official IAAF.org news release, 17 January 2006, "Rybakov loses to new Russian hope"; accessed 6 March 2011 He achieved a personal best outdoor jump of , in Langen, Germany (on 25 June 2006), and was named to the Russian team for the 19th European Athletics Championships held in Goteborg, Sweden in early August. He qualified for the 12-man Finals with a jump of 2.23, but two days later, 9 August 2006, he could manage no better than 2.20 for equal last place.
2007 The 20-year-old Ukhov won all three of the meets he entered in January 2007, with heights of 2.30 or better. At the annual Russian Winter Cup meet in Moscow, held on 28 January 2007 at the Vladimir Kutz Arena, the 20-year-old Ukhov elevated his personal best by 6 cm, jumping to set a new Russian national record in the High Jump.Official press release from European Athletics, 12 February 2007; European Athletics News – Kallur and Ukhov are European Athletes of the Month – January 2007 ; accessed 6 March 2011 Ukhov broke the record of 2.38, set in Sweden by Yaroslav Rybakov in February 2005. Ukhov was pushed to the record in a tactical duel with (reigning World Indoor champion) Rybakov. After each cleared 2.31, Rybakov took the lead with a first try clearance at 2.35. Ukhov failed in his first attempt and, with second-place already assured, he elected to pass. With the bar raised to 2.37, Ukhov flew over the bar on his first attempt, while Rybakov failed and decided to use his two remaining jumps at 2.39, one centimetre higher than his record of 2.38. Rybakov did not succeed, but Ukhov once again thrilled the Moscow crowd with a first-try clearance, and then failed at 2.41.Official Russian Athletics News press release, 29 January 2007, stuns with 2.39 leap in Moscow; accessed 6 March 2011 The 2.39 effort ranked him tied for sixth place among the top indoor high jumpers of all time. One week later, at the Arnstadt, Germany meet on 3 February 2007, Rybakov would win, tying his personal best of 2.38, while Ukhov finished fourth at 2.31.Official IAAF.org news release, 4 February 2007, "Rybakov breaks Arnstadt meet record with 2.38m leap"; accessed 6 March 2011
2008–2009 In September 2008, Ukhov was not invited to the Grand Prix IAAF meetings, because of his intoxicated actions during the Athletissima competition in Lausanne held on 2 September. There, he was found to have drunk Vodka and Red Bull prior to the competition, and was unable to make a valid jump.He drank Vodka and Red Bull , Peoplestar.tv, 13 September 2008. The IAAF issued a strong warning to Ukhov in respect of his conduct: the IAAF did not suspend him, but he did not compete afterwards.IAAF Council Meeting notes, Monaco – 21 November. IAAF (21 November 2008). Retrieved 11 September 2009.
Pavel Voronkov, his manager, later said: "There's no denying that Ivan was drunk but he had a fight with his girlfriend and was also upset at failing to qualify for the Olympics. Obviously, Ivan regrets it very much and we have already reimbursed the organisers for all their expenses. He is still young and it should be a good lesson for him but a year ban would just completely destroy him as an athlete."
He returned to competition at the annual Moravia High Jump Tour in late January 2009. Ukhov won both Tour events and outjumped all of his competitors, first jumping 2.33 on 21 January at Trinec, then bettered that with a 2.34 clearance at Hustopece on 24 January. At the Athens indoor meeting on 25 February 2009, Ukhov cleared 2.40, setting a new national record and the world's best season mark.Ukhov sails over 2.40m to set new world lead in Athens The mark also made him the equal-fifth highest jumper in the history of the sport.European Athletics official press release, 6 March 2011; The genius of Ukhov in full bloom in Paris ; accessed 6 March 2011. He also improved his outdoor best on 25 July 2009 at the Russian National Championships in Cheboksary when he cleared 2.35 to win the event beating Yaroslav Rybakov, who cleared the same height. At the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin Ukhov jumped 2.30 in qualifying, but when a torrential downpour wreaked havoc with the High Jump Final, Ukhov could manage only 2.23 and finished in 10th place: Rybakov won gold with a first-attempt clearance at 2.32. Ukhov won five summer meets with jumps of 2.34 and 2.35, and defeated Rybakov three times before losing in the rain in Berlin.official IAAF press release, 23 December 2009; "2009 – End of Year Reviews – JUMPS"; Retrieved 11 March 2011.
2010 Ukhov began his 2010 indoor season at the 6th Moravia High Jump Tour, winning both competitions: first at the meeting in Hustopece, Czech Republic on 23 January, he set a meet record of (which would be the best jump in the world indoors or out in 2010);European Athletics official press release, 18 December 2010; "Ukhov and Friedrich start their preparations for Paris in Hustopece"; accessed 5 March 2011. then he won the second leg on 27 January in Triniste with a leap of 2.34.
At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in March he claimed his first world title with a jump of 2.36 m, beating national rival Yaroslav Rybakov in the process.Jalava, Mirko (14 March 2010). EVENT REPORT – MEN's High Jump Final. IAAF. Retrieved 31 January 2011. One of the finest high jump competitions of the year was at Lausanne, Switzerland on 8 July 2010, when 11 men were still in competition at 2.30. Only four cleared it, with Ukhov going to defeat Rybakov – on misses – at 2.33, with a superb first attempt clearance at 2.33. Ukhov won again at Monaco, on 22 July, with a world-leading 2.34. At Monaco, four jumpers attempted 2.31, but only Ukhov made it (on his first attempt), and then 2.34 on his first effort, before failing three times at 2.36.
One week later he competed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, in Barcelona, Spain. The Men's Final was held 29 July, and this time he ended up behind a fellow Russian, as Aleksandr Shustov took gold at 2.33 and Ukhov was the silver medallist – his first European outdoor medal – with a jump of 2.31.
At London, on 14 August 2010, in conditions described as "wet and chilly", Ukhov won again, out-jumping his competitors with a second-effort clearance at 2.29, as second- and third-place tied at 2.27. Ukhov again outjumped the field at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich on 19 August, with another first-try clearance at 2.29, then trying 2.35 without success.official IAAF Samsung Diamond League press release, 19 August 2010; "Overview Disciplines – High Jump – Men ; Retrieved 11 March 2011. The win in Zurich ensured that he finished the top of the rankings in the High Jump series at the inaugural 2010 IAAF Diamond League.
Ukhov entered a total of 20 competitions in 2010 – indoors and out – and won 14 of them. He jumped an outdoor best of 2.36 at the 5th annual Opole jumping festival in Opole, Poland on 11 September, a mark which was the best by any athlete in 2010.Ivan Ukhov leaps 2.36 to lead the world . European Athletics (12 September 2010). Retrieved 22 September 2010. Ukhov's jump was all the more remarkable given that second place was 2.26, while he went on to clear 2.30 and 2.33 on his first jumps, then made 2.36 on his third, followed by three misses at 2.41.
2011