Ukrainians at Junior Worlds 2022
Let me remind the whole weightlifting unity from all around the world that right now in my country the war is going on. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and all the people are going all out to defeat the enemy, banish putin’s russians away, and make the Victory closer!
Ukrainian athletes, despite all the hurdles, do their part in this fight by raising our flag at international competitions.
Since junior athletes are our reserve and the adult team’s future, I want to proudly walk you through all our boys’ and girls’ success at this championship.
The preparation for the competition was highly stressful and hard as the russian army insidiously invaded our land in the middle of the preparatory period. Our coaches and athletes were surrounded by serious danger in such a difficult situation. They had no idea where and how to continue the training process and if there was at least a chance of doing that. By the way, several coaches and athletes are now defending Ukraine with weapons in their arms.
The women’s team was preparing at the Kyiv Olympic training base. The men’s team was in Chernihiv in the beginning, but after the fighting started there, they moved to the Bucharest Olympic center with the help of the Ukrainian and Romanian Weightlifting Federations as well as the International one.
Let me remind you that the head coach of the men’s team is Erzhas Boltaev who used to train the Kazakh team and work with Ilya Ilyin. Moreover, the preparation of the Uzbek team (Ruslan Nurudinov and Akbar Djuraev in particular) for the Tokyo Olympics was his responsibility. Find an interview with him here.
By the way, the Chernigiv Olympic sports training center and stadium were shelled and completely destroyed by the russian invaders just a few days after the national team left it.
The renowned Ukrainian coach Oleksandr Rykov together with his crew had been building and renovating this base for years. Hundreds of talented athletes had been brought up on its platform, including the Olympic champion Natalia Skakun.
During this tough period of Ukraine’s history, you can help Ukraine against russian aggression:
1. Direct help to the Ukrainian Forces. Here are the links to reliable funds:
https://bank.gov.ua/en/about/support-the-armed-forces
2. Join the anti-war movement in your country:
3. You can support us, as a company:
Your purchases will help us to stay afloat. Or you can buy a special Donation card and spend it in the future on upcoming programs. Part of the funds will be transferred to Voices of Children’s Charity Foundation.
We are keeping COLD MIND.
We will win and defend OUR country!!!
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes!
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Author: Ihor Shymechko
Pro Olympic Weightlifter, Coach
Best Results: Snatch – 208 kg,
C&J – 240 kg
Ihor has been a professional weightlifter since 1996, boasting over two decades of competition experience. His notable achievements include clinching the European Championship in 2009 and securing a silver medal in the 105kg division at the Senior World Championships in 2011. Ihor represented his country in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics. After retiring from competitive weightlifting, he transitioned to coaching, leveraging his vast experience to guide athletes who now compete on both national and international stages.
