Cypriot high jumpers Kulichenko and Savaskan to make Olympic bow

Cypriot high jumpers Elena Kulichenko and Buse Savaskan are to make their Olympic debuts on Friday morning as the qualifying round begins at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Kulichenko, Russian by birth, is competing under the Cypriot flag and is in qualifying group ‘A’. Savaskan, a native of Morphou, is competing for Turkey and is in qualifying group ‘B’.

Kulichenko is 22 years old and is the Cypriot national record holder, having most recently broken the record at the United States’ National Collegiate Athletics Association championships in June, clearing 1.97 metres.

Savaskan, 25, set her personal best of 1.92m when she won the gold medal at the Balkan Championships in May.