[ad_1]
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AFP) — It was a bittersweet day for Ukraine on the Winter Paralympics with 9 medals and a clear sweep of two biathlon occasions Tuesday — simply as one athlete realized her father had been taken prisoner by Russian troops.
Regardless of grappling with heartbreak following Russia’s invasion of their homeland, the yellow and blue crew dug deep to web two golds, 4 silver and three bronze medals on day 4 in Beijing.
In a present of lady energy on worldwide ladies’s day, Iryna Bui achieved her lifetime dream of Paralympic gold, sharing the rostrum with teammates Oleksandra Kononova and Liudmyla Liashenko within the standing center distance biathlon race.
“We’re right here to battle for Ukraine, with Ukraine and within the identify of Ukraine,” the 26-year-old Bui informed reporters.
Kononova mentioned that regardless that she is bodily in China competing, mentally she continues to be again dwelling.
“All my ideas, my coronary heart and my soul is with my household and with my youngster,” the 31-year-old mentioned.
“Emotionally it’s very tough to focus and to focus on the race and the competitors, so that is essentially the most tough Paralympic Video games for me.”
Liashenko’s dwelling in Kharkiv, which is underneath heavy bombing, was destroyed Monday which induced her to drag out of her cross-country race, crew spokeswoman Nataliia Harach mentioned.
The United Nations estimates 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled the nation as a part of the quickest rising refugee disaster since World Warfare II.
Anastasiia Laletina, 19, pulled out of her biathlon center distance sitting race on Tuesday morning after receiving dangerous information from dwelling, Harach mentioned.
“Her father is a soldier within the Ukrainian military and (was taken) prisoner by Russian troopers. They beat him,” Harach mentioned.
“She was very upset and couldn’t participate within the race.”
Harach added that Laletina was resting and receiving assist from the crew’s physician.
She added a Ukraine crew coach’s dwelling in Kharkiv had additionally been bombed in current days.
‘I’m shaking’
Ukraine’s athletes on the Paralympics have excelled regardless of the uncertainty and destruction again dwelling.
In Tuesday’s males’s visually impaired biathlon race, Ukrainians took all three medals, led by winner Vitalii Lukianenko, 43.
Additionally in biathlon, Grygorii Vovchynskyi nailed silver within the males’s standing remaining after profitable gold within the dash occasion earlier in these Paralympics.
Within the males’s sitting occasion, Taras Rad added a bronze medal to his silver from Saturday.
“I’m all the time serious about my household and buddies when I’m staying on the lodge… however proper now speaking about them I’m shaking, I fear lots about them,” he mentioned via an interpreter.
The Ukraine crew are second within the medals desk, with six golds and 17 medals in all. Hosts China are prime with eight golds.
Ukraine have extra medal possibilities in cross-country dash races Wednesday and additional biathlon occasions Friday.
[ad_2]
Source link