Last week, while I attended the World Figure Skating Championships, a story struck me: that of Ukrainian skaters Sofiia and Artem. Imagine: despite the war that has lasted for two years in their country, they continue to train and are among the best skaters in the world! I met these courageous athletes.
Training in a country at war
Sofiia Holichenko, 19, and Artem Darenskyi, 22, are the champions of Ukraine since 2022.
To get there, the skaters train 24 hours a week in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine. Less than 100 kilometers further east is the front line, that is to say the place where the fighting against the Russian army is taking place.
“Every day there are Russian rockets, bombs, missiles and planes. At each alert, we have to leave the ice to take refuge in a shelter,” Artem told me.
When I asked him how he felt in those moments, he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s been like this for two years, so we’ve gotten used to it. »
A competition full of emotions
Arriving in Montreal, Sofiia and Artem were delighted to see Ukrainian flags flying in the stands of the Bell Center. All the Canadians they met wished them good luck, which they found “perfect”.
Sofiia and Artem performed their best short program of the season, to the song Hit the Road Jack. This performance allowed them to qualify for the final.
On the night before the final, there were alerts in kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where Artem’s parents live. He had no news of them when it came time to skate in the final, but there was no question of giving up! Fortunately, he was able to communicate with his parents later. Phew!
In the end, Sofiia and Artem finished in 17e position on 24.
Both skaters say they are satisfied with their season. Their message? “Wish good luck to all the competitors, even those who don’t have a good performance, like us in the long program. And thank you to the public who comes to see us skate. »
Lysiane Alexandre, collaborator, The Aces of Info
Thanks to Inna Volochai, Ukrainian journalist, for her valuable help.
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