At the Paris Olympics, it will no longer be personal for Ukraine's athletes. This time, it's war
Hurdler Anna Ryzhykova trains at the sports center in Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Her competitions are no longer strictly an individual battle, but war on a different front. Her goal is not just gold, but also to rivet global attention on her country’s fight for survival against Russia. “You’re not doing it for yourself anymore,” she says. “Winning a medal just for yourself, being a champion, realizing your ambitions — it’s inappropriate.” Credit: AP/Evgeniy Maloletka
KYIV, Ukraine — For Ukrainian hurdler Anna Ryzhykova, each stride on the Paris Olympic track will have meaning far beyond the time she clocks.
Her competitions are no longer strictly an individual battle, but war on a different front. Her goal is not just gold, but also to rivet global attention on her country’s fight for survival against Russia.
“You’re not doing it for yourself anymore,” she says. “Winning a medal just for yourself, being a champion, realizing your ambitions — it’s inappropriate.”
But the broader war is making it increasingly difficult for Ukraine, once a post-Soviet sports power, to get those headline-capturing medals, an Associated Press analysis found.
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This story is part of an AP series that documented and visualized the toll the Russia-Ukraine war has had on Ukrainian athletes, coaches and sports facilities ahead of the Paris Olympics. AP is republishing it as Ryzhykova prepares to race Tuesday in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles at the Games.
