Ukrainian boxer fights through the challenges of war on her way to the Paris Olympics
Boxer Anna Lysenko's training routine this time has been disrupted by the war in Ukraine.
Boxer Anna Lysenko's training routine this time has been disrupted by the war in Ukraine.
Boxer Anna Lysenko's training routine this time has been disrupted by the war in Ukraine.
In a modest gym in the heart of Kyiv, boxer Anna Lysenko dedicates long hours preparing for next year's Paris Olympics despite the unsettling sounds of explosions booming outside.
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Lysenko already has Olympic experience, nearly winning a medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, but her training routine this time has been disrupted by the war in Ukraine 바카라 게임 웹사이트 that started nearly 17 months ago when Russia invaded her country.
In a well-lit, spacious gym with high windows, she often hears bombs exploding outside as the capital remains a target for the Russian army.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s stifling. It probably doesn바카라 게임 웹사이트t allow me to feel at peace, to train and prepare in a measured way,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lysenko said, wearing an orange sports jacket with 바카라 게임 웹사이트Tokyo 2020" on the back, reminiscent of a calmer training routine.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Constant shelling, or other stresses associated with the situation in the country, always seem to be present.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Despite these challenges, the 31-year-old Lysenko refuses to give up on her training. She has already sacrificed almost 10 years of her life for the sport, reaching the quarterfinals in Tokyo but missing out on an Olympic medal after losing to the eventual gold medalist. Knowing the Paris Games may be her last, she perseveres, training six days a week hoping to get better, to get faster, to win.
Her chances of competing in Paris, however, remain uncertain.
Ukrainian athletes have in recent weeks missed world or European championship events in judo, fencing and taekwondo, where Russians and Belarusians were allowed to compete after being approved as neutral athletes.
Last week, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach criticized the Ukrainian government for blocking some athletes from qualifying events for the 2024 Games that also included Russians and Belarusians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any neutral flag is stained with blood and invited Bach in January to join him in visiting the wrecked city of Bakhmut.
The IOC and Bach shaped the definition of neutrality in March 바카라 게임 웹사이트 not publicly supporting the war, nor being contracted to the military since February last year, competing without a flag, anthem or national colors 바카라 게임 웹사이트 that sports governing bodies must decide how or if to apply.
바카라 게임 웹사이트This is very bad,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lysenko said about the neutral flag for Russians and Belarusians.
As a Ukrainian athlete, she finds it 바카라 게임 웹사이트very unpleasant바카라 게임 웹사이트 that citizens of Russia will have the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. Despite the neutral flag, she said, the athletes 바카라 게임 웹사이트are citizens of their own country, they represent it.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The IOC took a tough position on Russia within days of the war starting, urging sports bodies to exclude athletes and officials from international events and strip the country of hosting rights.
However, as the Paris Olympics approached, the IOC moved toward letting some Russians into competition and Bach said excluding athletes based just on their passport would be discrimination and a breach of their human rights.
For Lysenko, such a decision by the IOC means that Ukrainian athletes have to compete in an 바카라 게임 웹사이트unequal battle바카라 게임 웹사이트 with citizens of a country that started a war in her homeland.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Because there, athletes can train in peace, nobody is shelling them, they don바카라 게임 웹사이트t lose their loved ones, acquaintances, friends. They don바카라 게임 웹사이트t lose them in the war,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said.
바카라 게임 웹사이트For every professional athlete, the Olympics are the pinnacle of their sporting journey,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lysenko added. 바카라 게임 웹사이트As an athlete, I can understand that. But as a person ... When you witness the sorrow of your loved ones, it바카라 게임 웹사이트s very difficult to accept.바카라 게임 웹사이트
She recalls how last autumn, on the day when she and her team were supposed to leave for the European Championships in Montenegro, Russia launched one of many missile attacks at Kyiv. At that moment, Lysenko was at the Olympic base near the capital.
바카라 게임 웹사이트And there you could really hear those explosions, there was such a shaking there, and we had to leave in literally two or three hours that day,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she recalled. 바카라 게임 웹사이트How to leave your family in such a condition, when something like that is happening 바카라 게임 웹사이트 It바카라 게임 웹사이트s stressful.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Even when she is abroad for competitions, her thoughts are still anchored to events in Ukraine.
During the most difficult periods, Lysenko didn't stop training. During the winter, when Russia was bombarding Kyiv and the rest of the country with dozens of rockets almost every week to destroy the energy infrastructure, Lysenko continued to train even without electricity.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It was very challenging,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트We were starting to train a bit earlier to have some light from outside.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The decision of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee to boycott qualifying competitions involving Russians and Belarusians evokes conflicting emotions for Lysenko.
바카라 게임 웹사이트If they are already banning everyone and saying it바카라 게임 웹사이트s a boycott, then it should apply to everyone,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said, explaining that, for example, Ukrainian tennis players continue to participate in competitions with Russians and Belarusians.
Under the circumstances that have arisen, Lysenko chooses to compete and fight.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We have our own sports frontline, and we need to go out there and win,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said, adding 바카라 게임 웹사이트it would be very disappointing바카라 게임 웹사이트 if she doesn바카라 게임 웹사이트t go to the Olympics.
바카라 게임 웹사이트A lot of effort has already been put in to have it end like this, not being able to bring a medal for my country and once again represent our country to the whole Olympic world,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lysenko said.
For her, the Paris Games could be her last chance to compete at the Olympics. She will be 36 by the time the Los Angeles Games open in 2028.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I can still continue training, but I have my own plans on how to lead my life and develop in other areas," Lysenko said. "Not just in sports.바카라 게임 웹사이트
For now, she continues her training, even in periods when Kyiv is being attacked almost nightly by the Russians.
바카라 게임 웹사이트A person gets used to everything,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said, noting her challenges pale in comparison to what Ukrainian soldiers endure.
바카라 게임 웹사이트When you think about how hard it is there, you realize that everything is great for you,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lysenko said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트And we will keep working here because they are doing everything there to allow us to do our job here, in the rear.바카라 게임 웹사이트