Mar 10, 2022 - Sports

"Strong spirit": Ukrainian athletes show resolve after Russian invasion

Jeff Tracy

Ukraine's Paralympic Team holds up a "Peace For All" banner in the athletes' village. Photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Ukrainian athletes around the world are showing the strength of their resolve in the face of unimaginable horrors.

Paralympics: Biathlete Dmytro Suiarko won bronze Tuesday, one day after his home was destroyed by bombs. Ukraine's 19 medals are second only to China's 32, with athletes dedicating them "to each and every Ukrainian." They've swept the podium three times already.

Dayana Yastremska: The 21-year-old tennis player finished runner-up at the Lyon Open one week after fleeing Ukraine, and will donate her winnings to the Ukrainian foundation. "I want to say thanks to every [Ukrainian] for showing that we have a really strong spirit," she said.
Athletes-turned-soldiers: A number of current and former athletes have taken up arms to defend their country. Marathoner Mykola Nyzhnyk traveled 5,000 miles from training in Kenya to join the fight. 19-year-old biathlete Yevhen Maylshev was killed in combat last week.
Elina Svitolina: The tennis star trounced Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the Monterrey Open while donning yellow and blue. She said she was "on a mission for my country" and donated her prize money to the Ukrainian army.

The bottom line: "We are fighting ... not only in Ukraine but here on the sporting stage," said vision-impaired biathlete gold medalist Vitalii Lukianenko. "We want ... your help to stop this war."

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"Strong spirit": Ukrainian athletes show resolve after Russian invasion

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