Ukrainian High Jump Star Yuliiya Levchenko Takes the Internet by Storm as ‘High Jump Barbie’
3 min read
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On August 25, the Ukrainian Athlete went viral for her blonde hair, passing likeness to Barbie’s Margot Robbie, and World Athletic’s social media manager’s determination to capitalise on a significant trend. “High jump Barbie, Ukraine’s Yuliiya Levchenko,” the account captioned a video of one of Levchenko’s qualifying jumps. To emphasise the point, the account included a sped-up rendition of Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night” from the Barbie soundtrack. The video, which has now been seen nearly 1 million times, instantly made Levchenko a viral phenomenon. Unfortunately for her newfound fan base, Levchenko finished 17th, failing to qualify for the 12-woman final on a tiebreaker.
Ukrainian athlete Yuliiya Levchenko goes viral as “High Jump Barbie” pic.twitter.com/MbIt7k4jiO
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 28, 2023
Levchenko won silver at the 2017 World Championships but hasn’t won an international medal since the 2019 European Indoor Championships. On August 27, her Ukrainian compatriot Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold. There is a lot of thirst for Levchenko in the original TikTok comments. For the past eight days, Budapest has hosted the 2023 World Athletics Championship. It was a terrific occasion with many memorable moments. Sha’Carri Richardson returned to the top of women’s running with a stunning 100m victory. Meanwhile, in the women’s pole vault, two friends decided to split the gold medal.
High Jump Barbie: Ukrainian Athlete Yuliiya Levchenko Goes Viral On The Internet
The 2023 World Athletics Championship was held in Budapest for the preceding eight days, and it was an outstanding event filled with several great events. Among these noteworthy moments was Sha’Carri Richardson’s amazing victory in the 100m event, which marked her return to the top of women’s racing. Shericka Jackson won the women’s 200m final in 21.41 seconds, trailing only Florence Griffith Joyner. Noah Lyles became the first guy since Usain Bolt in 2015 to win both the 100m and the 200m at a global championships. Nonetheless, another notable athlete who has sparked much interest is Yulina Levchenko, the Ukrainian high jumper. On August 25th, Ukrainian Athlete Levchenko became a viral hit due to her blonde hair, strong likeness to Margot Robbie (who plays Barbie), and the World Athletics social media manager’s zeal in following a popular trend. A video of one of Levchenko’s jumps during qualification was titled “High Jump Barbie, Ukraine’s Yuliiya Levchenko.”
@worldathletics High jump Barbie, Ukraine’s Yuliya Levchenko. #WorldAthleticsChamps #track #athletics #highjump #ukraine ♬ dance the night away sped – 💗 S O U N D S 🐆
The account also added a sped-up rendition of Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night” from the Barbie soundtrack to emphasise the message. The video, which has nearly 1 million views, rapidly made Levchenko a viral phenomenon. There is a lot of thirst for Levchenko in the original TikTok comments. “In her honor, I would do anything for Ukraine,” says one person. In reality, many of the remarks are about Levchenko’s nationality and Russia’s continuous invasion. What’s concerning is that many of the comments revolve around the idea of “guess I support Ukraine now,” which is OK. There are, however, some excellent Barbie-themed jokes to be found. Another user commented, “This Barbie is an athlete.”. “Her job is to jump,” another says. To the dismay of her new fan following, Levchenko finished 17th, failing to qualify for the 12-woman final due to a tiebreaker. Levchenko won a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships, but she hasn’t won a medal since the 2019 European Indoor Championships. Her Ukrainian compatriot, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, won the gold medal on August 27th.
