Quick Chat: Elena Kulichenko

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Elena Kulichenko loves the feeling of soaring through the air. When the 5-foot-10 Georgia high jumper takes flight, she regularly clears 6 feet. Yes, her technique and athletic gifts allow her to soar over a bar that's a few inches taller than she is.

Last Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational, Kulichenko, who was named SEC Women's Indoor Freshman Field Athlete of the Year last year, won her second straight high jump competition, clearing 6-feet. This weekend, Kulichenko and the Bulldogs are in Lubbock, Texas, for the Texas Tech Open & Multis.

During a Quick Chat on Wednesday, Kulichenko, a sophomore from Odintsovo, Russia, talked about her adjustment to life and school in the U.S., her start in the high jump, missing home-cooked meals, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:

Frierson: What is it like being in school so far from home? How much of an adjustment has it been?

Kulichenko: It was definitely a big step. My life changed 180 degrees — it was a completely different life, different everything. Starting from the mentality, the American culture, and track, of course. Sports here is super different from Russia, so it was a big step, I'm not going to lie.

Frierson: Had you been to the U.S. before you came to school here?

Kulichenko: Yes, I came here with my family, but it was more a Disneyland trip or just having fun in Florida, or something like that. It definitely wasn't the stuff I'm experiencing right now [laughs].

Frierson: When did you start thinking about coming to school in the U.S.?

Kulichenko: It was the COVID year — I graduated from high school and I went to a university in Russia, and then I realized that I was kind of depressed [laughs] and I didn't like it there. I was thinking about quitting track because I had some problems with my coach there, but then, and I don't even remember how it happened, I started talking to the coaches here. They offered me a scholarship and said that I should come, and I was like, Oh, my gosh, that's crazy.

At first, I was scared because this is so different, and this is going to change my life, but then I was like, "You know what? I'm going to do it." Then I started the process of getting a visa and passing exams and everything.

Frierson: Has it been about what you expected?

Kulichenko: It's so much more. I didn't expect anything, because the only thing I knew about American schools and college is just from the movies. There's always fraternity houses and football games, but I never thought of it in real life, how huge and massive it is in general. When I came here I was like, "Wow!"

I remember seeing Sanford Stadium for the first time and being like, "Why do you guys need such a big stadium?" And they were like, "It's sold out every time." The first game I went to, when I saw it, I was like, "Wow!"

Frierson: I was going to ask you about your first Georgia football game. What was that like? I'm guessing you didn't know much about American football.

Kulichenko: [Laughs] I knew nothing! I know touchdown, what a touchdown is, but that's all of my knowledge when I first got here. It was a shock, for sure. ... I know a little bit more than I knew when I came here, but I'm still like, "What just happened?"

Frierson: Your English is very good, so how old were you when you first started learning it? And have TV shows like "Friends" helped you?

Kulichenko: That was definitely part of my English journey. When I first came here, I thought that I knew English, but then I was like, "No, nevermind." It's just different, learning it by books and school rather than being in the environment, when everybody is talking and has accents or uses slang. It took a while for me to get comfortable with it.

Frierson: How did you get started in track and the high jump?

Kulichenko: I did everything, even shot put and stuff like that, but my coach, she was a professional high jumper, and that's why I think she encouraged me to do the high jump. I liked it, and I did really good when I was young. Another thing, in sprints, there will be like 100 kids, but in high jump, there will be maybe 15. It's smarter to go there (high jump) and win there, rather than try to beat all of those other people in the sprints.

Definitely my coach encouraged me to do it, but I love it.

Frierson: What is your favorite thing about doing the high jump?

Kulichenko: I think the emotions. Every time, it's like, how many meets have I been to? Hundreds, I think, but every time, it's the same feeling. There are all these butterflies in your stomach, the adrenaline, and that's crazy. Every time it's like my first meet — every time.

Frierson: It's crazy to me that you can clear a bar that is above your head. What is it like to fly like that?

Kulichenko: I don't even know. It happens so fast, but sometimes you can just tell, you know when it's a good jump before you're in the air. Everything is in your approach — if it's a good approach, it's going to be good.

Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?

Kulichenko: I love bacon [laughs]. Americans love something fried, and I love bacon here. Scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, I love it.

Frierson: Is there something you eat a lot back home that you miss when you're here?

Kulichenko: I just miss home food, I'm not going to lie. Here, it's a lot of restaurants and going to the grocery store, but it's totally different when you're coming home and your mom is cooking something. Home food, I miss it.

Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?

Kulichenko: [Laughs] In 10 years I'll be, what, 30? Oh, my gosh! That's a good question. I don't know. I don't want to think about it [laughs]. I'm just enjoying my time right now and we'll see how it goes. It can go in so many different directions, especially with our war right now.

I'm just living in the moment and enjoying my life right now.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.

Players Mentioned

Elena Kulichenko

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