Maria Żodzik
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | Марыя Жодзік | ||||||||||||||
| National team | Belarus (until 2024) Poland (from 2024) | ||||||||||||||
| Born | Mariya Zhodzik 19 January 1997 Baranavichy, Belarus[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | High jump | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | High jump: 2.00 m (Tokyo, 2025) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Maria Żodzik (Belarusian: Марыя Жодзік, born 19 January 1997) is a high jumper. She was the national champion of Belarus in 2020. Having Polish grandparents, she was granted Polish citizenship in 2024 and won the silver medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, having previously also represented Poland at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[2][1]
Early life
Źodzik grew up in the Belarusian town of Baranowicze. Her mother had been a high jumper and her father a distance runner, but she initially started out as a swimmer before transitioning to athletics. In the high jump she had cleared a height of 1.77m by age of 16 years-old, before hamstring and sciatic injuries ruled her out of competing for almost three years.[3]
Career
Źodzik won the high jump at the Belarusian national championships in 2020.[4] She was named to the Belarusian team for the delayed 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.[5] However, she was not permitted to compete as she was ruled as not meeting the minimum testing requirements of the Anti-Doping Rules for her country by the Athletics Integrity Unit.[6]
Switch to Poland; Olympic debut
She moved to Poland in 2022, and became based at Białystok, training under coach Robert Nazarkiewicz at the Podlasie Białystok club.[7] She jumped a personal best 1.97 metres at the Polish Indoor Championships in Toruń on 17 February 2024.[8]
In March 2024, she was granted Polish citizenship.[9] She competed for Poland in the high jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics but had a best clearance of only 1.83 metres and did not proceed from the semi-final.[10]
2025: World Championships silver medalist
She jumped 1.96 metres to finish third on countback at Mutaz Barshim's What Gravity Challenge in Doha, Qatar on 10 May 2025, with the same height as Australia’s Eleanor Patterson, who claimed second.[11] She placed third in Stockholm at the 2025 BAUHAUS-galan event, part of the 2025 Diamond League, in June 2025.[12] She was runner-up to Yaroslava Mahuchikh whilst competing for Poland at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships First Division in Madrid, on 29 June 2025, after jumping 1.97 metres.[13] With Nicola Olyslagers and Christina Honsel, she shared the win with 1.91 metres at the 2025 Athletissima in wet conditions in Lausanne.[14]
She won the silver medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025, clearing a personal best height of 2.00 metres.[15][16]
2026
Continuing her good form into 2026, Zodzik equalled her indoor personal best of 1.98m to win the high jump at the Copernicus Cup in Toruń, and was crowned the overall winner of the high jump on the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Tour.[17] She cleared 1.95 metres to win the 2026 Polish Indoor Championships.[18] Competing at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, she placed fifth with a cleared height of 1.93 metres.[19]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Belarus | ||||
| 2016 | World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 15th (q) | 1.77 m |
| 2017 | European U23 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 5th | 1.86 m |
| 2019 | European U23 Championships | Gävle, Sweden | 18th (q) | 1.73 m |
| Representing Poland | ||||
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 28th (q) | 1.83 m |
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | 2.00 m |
References
- ^ a b Petruczenko, Maciej (19 June 2024). "Maria Żodzik – Polka z Białorusi na olimpijski medal?". Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Wasiak, Jan (2 August 2024). "Niemiłe zaskoczenie. Maria Żodzik szybko żegna się z igrzyskami". przegladsportowy.onet.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Zodzik: 'I had no interest in finishing fourth'". World Athletics. 24 October 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "Адкрыты Чэмпіянат Рэспублікі Беларусь па легкай атлетыцы" [Belarus National Outdoor Athletics Championships] (PDF) (in Belarusian). Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Athletics ZHODZIK Mariya". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Three Belarusian athletes declared ineligible for Tokyo 2020". eng.belta.by. 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Belarusian high jumper granted Polish citizenship, eyes Paris Olympics". Polskiradio.pl. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Polish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Petruczenko, Maciej (20 March 2024). "Another strengthening of Polish athletics. President Duda granted citizenship". Przegladsportowy. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Women's high jump Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Woo, Mahuchikh soar to victory at What Gravity Challenge". Gulf Times. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
- ^ "Results - Stockholm Diamond League Bauhaus Galan 2025". Watch Athletics. 15 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Iapichino and Fabbri contribute to Italy's victory at European Team Championships". worldathletics.org. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Hodgkinson and Hoey highlight soaking and surprising night in Lausanne". World Athletics. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ "Lekkoatletyka. Znamy skład reprezentacji Polski na MŚ w Tokio". Sport.tvp.pl. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
- ^ "Charlton, Crestan and Dosso close World Indoor Tour Gold in style in Toruń". World Athletics. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ Mills, Steven (1 March 2026). "Szymanski, Swoboda and Skrzyszowska speed to fast times at Polish Indoor Championships". European Athletics. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Mahuchikh regains world indoor high jump title in Kujawy Pomorze". World Athletics. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.