Ukrainian athletes spread joy in time of war

Rohit Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Paris, August 5

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, 22, eyes lined with golden mascara, smiles and smiles — and then speaks words that reveal a breaking heart.

Almost 500 sportsmen have died in this war. They’ll never live again. They will never compete again. They’ll never celebrate. They’ll never feel this atmosphere. I’m happy with this gold medal, it’s really for all of them. — Yaroslava Mahuchikh

“In my country, Russia killed people. Almost 500 sportsmen have died in this war,” she said. “They’ll never live again. They will never compete again. They’ll never celebrate. They’ll never feel this atmosphere.”

“I’m happy with this gold medal, it’s really for all of them,” said Yaroslava from Ukraine, minutes after winning the women’s high jump gold at Stade de France.

In the face of the horrors and tragedies of war, it’s impossible to believe that sport is important — yet Yaroslava said sport is very, very important. If she says so, we must defer, because she’s a two-time Olympics medallist, a world record holder, and a refugee from war.

Yaroslava’s home in Dnipro is only around 100km from the war frontline. Soon after the war started, she hastily left the town, putting into her car whatever lay to hand, fleeing the sounds and sights of gunfire and battle.

The bronze was shared by another Ukrainian, Iryna Gerashchenko, another refugee from war. She talked about how she trains in fear all the time, for battle often comes to her hometown, Kyiv, where the beings she loves the most — a dog and a cat, husband, parents — live.

“There have been explosions near my house,” she said. “My husband was home, but he did not tell me everything. Later, I read the news and found that it was an explosion not far from my house. I spend a lot of time in Kyiv.”

“When you’re abroad, you fear,” she added. At home, she said, you have the illusion of being in control. “But abroad, you are fearful all the time. I don’t know what’s happening with my husband, my dog and cat… My father and mother.”

She laments that her countrymen get electricity for only two hours a day; her heart breaks because many of them can’t cook because there’s no electricity. “It’s terrible,” she said. “There’s war, and we’ll win. But I hope it would happen soon.”

Yaroslava won gold with a best jump of 2 metres; Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers also cleared 2 metres but the Ukrainian took gold because she achieved the height on her first attempt. Iryna’s best was 1.95m, for which she shared bronze with Eleanor Patterson of Australia.

Ukraine’s night was made complete by Mykhaylo Kokhan, who won bronze in the hammer throw.

Kokhan, a jovial man of 22 who once competed in javelin, also believes that sport in the time of war is not a frivolous activity. “For us, for people from Ukraine, I hope they would be a bit happier today, and we can share our happiness with them,” said the towering young man. “This medal is for our people. We’re very strong people.”