High jump specialist, Yuliya Levchenko, has experienced a brilliant rise. In just four years, she went from a height of 1.70 metres to 2.01 metres during the last world championships in London, a feat that earned her the silver medal. The youngest of the Richard Mille ambassadors, Yuliya will surely find a place alongside Mutaz Essa Barshim, her male counterpart and undisputed king of the discipline. At only 20 years old, the Slavic athlete - whose beauty is surpassed only by her performance on the track - is already exceeding expectations. Born in Kiev, Yuliya trains tirelessly to become the best. "It took me seven years to reach this level. It may seem like a long time, but everyone tells me that my path was extremely fast. Many female athletes need 15 years or more to be able to jump over 2 metres! Until now I have managed to outdo myself at the big international events. I am always competing. I like to feel the tension of big challenges, to control stress, to exceed my limits. I believe there is nothing better than the satisfaction of having surpassed a height that has never been reached before'. Yuliya made her name at the age of 17, with a personal best of 1.83 metres, at the Youth Olympic Games. She won the Olympic title, improving her record step by step, clearing a bar of 1.89 metres. It was at this moment that her career took off: 3rd in the Junior World Championships, she took 1st place at the European Championships the following year, followed by two silver medals at the 2017 Diamond League and World Championships. Extremely competitive and constantly growing, Yuliya improved her personal best at every competition. This extraordinary feat earned her the title of best Ukrainian female athlete of 2017. Richard Mille enjoys collaborating with athletes of the highest level. The human relationship established with its ambassadors, which is shaped by watchmaking developments, is reinforced by the shared desire for outstanding performances. High jumping requires perfect technique and an ideal weight/power ratio. "I used to think of the watch mainly as a fashion accessory. Of Richard Mille I love this idea of bringing together 'friends of the brand', we are a team of athletes, but not only. There are also artists, actors... I really like this way of looking at things, it's like I've just joined a new family. You know that sport brings people together and you can say that Richard Mille does it too,' Yuliya confides. Discoverer of young talents such as Alexander Zverev - 38th in the ATP in 2016 when he joined the Richard Mille family and now world number 3 in tennis - Charles Leclerc, Alexis Pinturault and others, Richard Mille will accompany the young Ukrainian in her sporting career. Yuliya will wear the RM 07-01 Carbon TPT on the athletics track in her quest for gold.
