Ukrainian weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko (30) died during the war with Russia. The Ukrainian Olympic Committee has confirmed this. He is the first Olympian to die during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which has caused outrage in Ukraine.
The two-time European champion came from the region of Russian-occupied Luhansk. He immediately joined the Ukrainian army in 2022 and was active in many trouble spots. But on Sunday, Pielieschenko died on a mission during fighting with Russian occupiers, Ukraine’s Olympic Committee confirmed. Pielieshenko finished fourth in the 85 kilo weight class at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He thus goes down in sad history as the first Ukrainian Olympian to die in the war with Russia. But according to Vladyslav Heraskevych, another Ukrainian Olympic weightlifter, 450 professional Ukrainian athletes have already died in the conflict. “These are people who, instead of practicing their sport and getting on with their lives, are now being killed. While at the same time, Russian athletes can now fully participate in major events all over the world. I don’t understand how this is possible. This is insane,” Heraskevych is quoted by the English ‘The Guardian’.
The Ukrainian weightlifting association also reflected on the tragic death and posted a photo of Pielieshenko in military clothing online. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and everyone who knew Oleksandr,” it said. “War takes away the best among us, but heroes will never die.”
Pielieshenko won the European Weightlifting Championships in his weight class up to 85 kilos in 2016 and 2017, but was also caught several times for doping. The last time in 2018, after a positive test for the banned substance chlorthalidone, a product that lowers blood pressure and improves the pumping power of the heart. His sentence would not end until 2026.
His death causes much sadness in the Ukrainian sports world. Many athletes and sports fans express their condolences and remember Pielieschenko on social media. “He was a man whose name you write in capital letters. There is nothing like death and there never will be… He wanted to live, he loved life and had many plans,” it reads, among other things.
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Tags: Insane Ukraine loses Olympian war weightlifter Pielieshenko addition professional athletes Sports
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