Run it back

Elina Kulichenko has already accomplished more than most student-athletes can dream of. So far, the 22-year-old standout has won multiple national championships in the high jump, set records, secured a top-eight finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as well as a top-ten world ranking.

However, there is still one more honour she is looking for. After falling short in 2023 in Chengdu, China, the humanities graduate from the University of Georgia in the United States is hoping to bounce back at Rhine-Ruhr 2025 and earn Cyprus its first ever FISU Games gold medal in athletics.

“It’s something that I have the shape for,” she said. “I didn’t win last time, so I was like, ‘I want this title.’”

Second time’s the charm

In Chengdu, Kulichenko finished runner-up behind Ghana’s Rose Yeboah. While the Cypriot was not able to take home the gold medal, she still set a personal best.

“It was so nice,” she said, of her time in China. “It was right after COVID, so it was the first big sport event, so a lot of fans were there.”

Since then, Kulichenko has been quite busy, winning the 2024 and 2025 NCAA (the USA’s university sports circuit) outdoor high jump national championships, as well as setting the Cypriot national record of 1.97m in 2025. She currently holds the ninth spot in the worldathletics.org global rankings. On top of all that, she finished seventh at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was one of the two flag bearers for Cyprus in the French capital.

“It was the best experience of my life, for sure,” she said. “Every time I’m thinking about it, it’s like, ’dream come true.’”

This year’s FISU Games feature a different field of high jump competition, one which Kulichenko has grown accustomed to, having made friends with several international rivals.

“(I met some) in competitions, some I met online, sometimes we start following each other, then become internet friends,” she explained. “Seeing each other in person is so nice,and everyone’s super friendly. It’s just a nice atmosphere.”

In any case, Kulichenko said she is aiming for gold in Germany, and that she will “see what’s gonna happen.”

From Europe to Athens… Georgia

For one year, the Cypriot attended a university in her native Europe, but wanted a change, and found it at the University of Georgia in Athens. The human development and family sciences major graduated this spring.

“It went by so fast, so quick,” she said. “(I’m) just super thankful for the coaches, for the program, that they made me a better athlete and a person overall.”

Academically, she said that balancing her studies with her sport was challenging at times, but her professors were “super supportive” throughout her time there.

Now graduated, while her goal is gold, Kulichenko also has her sights set on enjoying the competition and soaking up her time in Germany.

“I like how clean it is here, so calm,” she said. “We’re leaving our hotels, next to the park, a huge park, (there’s) all these birds chipping. It was really nice. The weather is amazing. I’m really a big fan of it because in most of Europe it’s so hot right now, and I’m too light skinned for it. I’m getting sunburned so fast, so this is my comfort weather,” she added with a smile.

During the qualifying round on Friday, 25 July Kulichenko advanced to Saturday’s final round after one jump at 1.81m, along with fellow Cypriot Styliana Ioannidou. The final is set for 7:27 p.m. CET at Lohrheidestadion in Bochum.

Athletics gold medallists on July 25 included Belgium’s Elien Vekemans (women’s pole vault), Finland’s Saara Keskitalo (women’s 100m hurdles) and Switzerland’s Simon Wieland (men’s javelin throw).

The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Fisher Madsen, FISU Young Reporter, USA

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.