hello!
this account is to provide news/updates on ukrainian skaters. i won’t be providing translations since i don’t know ukrainian, but i’ll share any news i come across. if i miss something, feel free to let me know! i hope y’all enjoy this account/find it helpful 💛
nearly two years later, it still hurts to think about. i don’t work with those kids anymore but i will carry the memories for the rest of my life. my heart breaks for the actual ukrainian people on here who have to see you trivialize their suffering to feel good about yourself.
yes israel and the us should probably be banned but y’all render the argument invalid by acting like it’s the exact same as russia. there IS a difference when figure skating is state funded, contributing to propaganda, and DIRECTLY funding a war
and on a personal note, while i’m not ukrainian, i hate hearing that shit. i know children who were traumatized by this war. i will never forget the feeling of reading an assignment from the 3rd grader who liked annoying me and it was all about how he wanted the war to end.
and any non-ukrainian people that see this: don’t think that the time that’s passed means this is over. and don’t act like it’s so far away happening to people nothing like us. you shouldn’t need a personal connection to care but if you do, you can find plenty.
on the 4th anniversary of russia’s full scale invasion of ukraine i’m thinking about everyone without power and heat, kids who had to flee war as TODDLERS, and everyone enduring so many years of trauma
it took me forever to come up with something to say and i can’t find anything good enough. but these posts made me think about the ukrainian kids i work with and imagine how little they were when all this started. no language has the words to articulate how that feels
Anhelina Brykina, a Ukrainian freestyle skier, is the daughter of a fallen hero.
At the Olympics today, she took to the slopes with 'Glory to the AFU' inscribed on her skis ❤️🩹
Her father, Pavlo Brykin, had been a defender of Ukraine since 2015, serving in the east. Though he worked as a rescuer in civilian life, he didn't hesitate to rejoin the defense forces in the first days of the full-scale invasion.
Tragically, Pavlo was killed on August 6, 2022. He is survived by his wife and five children, including Anhelina, who now carries his legacy onto the world stage.
⚡️Ukrainian freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar has made it to the final round of the Olympic Games in big air.
She made it into the top 12 of the qualifiers, which is the first time in Ukraine's history that a competitor has reached the final round in this discipline.
During her performance, the athlete displayed the inscription "Freedom of Memory" on her glove. Earlier, the IOC had prohibited her from performing in a helmet with the inscription "Be brave like Ukrainian".
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Kyrylo Marsak 🇺🇦 137.28 / 224.17
"I was trying to fight until the end, but unfortunately I think pressure was too high for me today and I couldn't handle it. Even the practice today was extremely shaky. I was extremely nervous in practice, and I couldn't bring myself back for the competition."
On getting recognition in Ukraine:
"I think that's pretty cool, but there's also another side of the medal. There's so much more attention, so much more pressure. Everybody is waiting for you to succeed. And I couldn't handle it today. Physically we were really well prepared. I'm in my best shape ever physically, but mentally we still need to work."
On whether that was a result of his success in SP:
"The short program had no role in this unsuccessful free skate. I would say there was just too much negative information during this last couple of days, with the disqualification of Vladyslav Heraskevych and with all the International Olympic Committee situation. I guess it was just too much for me to handle, especially since we also had to compete right after the neutral athlete. That also played a role."
About what was on his mind the last few days:
"It was mostly negative thoughts, I would say. It kind of seems that International Olympic Committee is completely against us and completely against Ukrainians, like they want to cancel everything Ukrainian. It wasn't only with Vladyslav. There was also a short track skater and I think a skier or somebody else. They also forbade their helmets. I think it's just manipulation and trying to put pressure on us. That's my opinion. Of course, I wouldn't say anything for certain."
On sharing the ice with a Russian athlete:
"It was okay. Normally I don't care who is on the ice with me. I mostly concentrate on myself. Bu today my head just wasn't in the game."
On contacting his father:
"After the short program we were able to contact each other. We were calling, and he was really happy about my short program and supporting me a lot. But we didn't really talk today, unfortunately. He's my biggest fan. He's always supporting me and trying to cheer me up, even when something goes wrong."
On his first Olympic experience:
"My Olympic experience was really good. I really enjoyed being in the village. I enjoyed competing here, competing for this audience, and being on this stage. It meant a lot to me, and I think it will play a big role in my growth as an athlete."
On how he calms himself down:
"I was trying to do everything that I normally do to calm myself down, but I've never dealt with this kind of pressure and this kind of attention before., There was so much attention on me, more than I've ever experienced in my life, and it was just too much."
#FigureSkating #MilanoCortina2026 #Olympics #WinterOlympics
Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak’s father is on the frontline of the war.
But he tells me his dad was able to watch his short program — and then called his son to say how proud he was.
Kyrylo called the decision to ban Vladyslav Heraskevych “disgusting” in our interview.
he competed with strength, skill, and integrity tonight and nothing can change that. i am so proud of him and i’m sure he’s made ukraine proud. i hope he knows how many people support him and i hope he’s surrounded by the people that matter to him right now
this is not the result kyrylo wanted but he went out there and did the best he could in circumstances he shouldn’t have been in. he was facing things many of us can’t even imagine, tragedy and trauma along with constant reminders of what the ioc thinks of ukrainian athletes
kyrylo said it was hard psychologically to skate in one group with "neutral" and to stay focus after heraskevych was dsq
BURN IOC, they are going to hell
excusing your actions by saying you were bound by the rules is what the germans did after world war 2. do you really want the entire world knowing you’re just like them?
the court for the arbitration of sport denied vladyslav heraskevych’s appeal, joining the ioc in showing themselves as an illegitimate organization playing into russian propaganda