There won't be any quick trips home for Ukraine's medalists at the Paris Olympics. (Medal Table | Schedule & Results | Full Coverage)
High jumpers Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Iryna Gerashchenko and hammer thrower Mykhaylo Kokhan picked up their hardware on Monday following a memorable night 24 hours earlier in track and field for the war-torn country.
Gold for Mahuchikh and bronzes for Gerashchenko and Kokhan.
None of them can hop on a direct flight to Ukraine.
All three athletes were fled their country following Russia's invasion, and only Gerashchenko will return immediately.
Her itinerary? A flight from Paris to Vienna, another plane from Vienna to Moldova. Then a 13- or 14-hour bus ride to Kyiv.
바카라It's not easy,바카라 Gerashchenko said.
These days, nothing comes easy for Ukrainian athletes. But they have been given a helping hand from World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.
The track and field federation has taken as strong a stance as any Olympic sport against Russia, stating shortly after the invasion started in February 2022 that Russian athletes would not be allowed to compete in international track competitions.
So it was fitting that Coe placed the medals around the necks of Mahuchikh and Gerashchenko during the high jump ceremony. When he gave Mahuchikh her gold, he stopped to say something in her ear.
바카라He congrats me and say that he knows how it's difficult to compete here,바카라 Mahuchikh said. 바카라But we did it and we deserve it.바카라
A little more than a month ago, Coe visited Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to reiterate his sport's support during the war. Coe also invited Zelenskyy to the track and field meet in Paris.
바카라He's very brave,바카라 Gerashchenko said, noting that 바카라not everybody바카라 wants to visit Ukraine these days. 바카라We are very thankful for him about his position.바카라
While Zelensky has not shown up in Paris, he did post a congratulations message to the Ukrainian medalists on social media.
바카라Ukrainians know how to be strong and how to win,바카라 Zelensky wrote.
The three medals that Ukraine earned were more than any other country took home from the Stade de France on a blockbuster Sunday when Noah Lyles won the 100 meters.
바카라I wish every day we had the same result,바카라 Kokhan said.
Kokhan is from Zaporizhzhia, the capital of the region that is partially occupied and where Europe's largest nuclear power plant is located. Russian troops occupied the plant shortly after invading.
Kokhan took up residence in Antalya, Turkey, after the war started. He's still based there, along with his mom, his sister and his five cats.
It's a 30-hour trip back to Zaporizhzhia.
바카라Unfortunately this is the situation we have now,바카라 Kokhan said.
Mahuchikh is from Dnipro, a city of nearly 1 million located only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the front lines of the war.
She won't make it home until October, after she finishes her Diamond League season with a few more meets in Europe.
Mahuchikh added Olympic gold to her world and European titles.
바카라Today I really realized that I'm Olympic champion,바카라 she said. 바카라I finally got it.바카라
