Ukraine has condemned the switch of two-time Olympic diver Sofiia Lyskun to represent Russia amid the ongoing war and will try to strip her of the awards.
23-year-old Lyskun told the Russian newspaper Izvestia this week that “the incompetence of the coaches” was a factor in her decision.
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“Many of our coaches are gymnasts or trampoline athletes. How can someone from a completely different field teach you something? In recent years, I realized in sports in Ukraine that I am not growing,” said Lyskun in a video interview.
Lyskun, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Games that were delayed due to the pandemic, said there was too much focus on individual preparation.
“I finally realized that it was a one-way street. No one supported me, but on the contrary, it was worsening my psychological state and making the whole situation worse,” she said. “I had moments when I didn’t go to train for about a week, and I stayed at home crying. Nothing good came of it.”
The Ukrainian Diving Federation called Lyskun’s decision “categorically unacceptable.” The Ukrainian team, she added, “fights selflessly every day for the right to represent our country on the international stage.” The coaches and parents of the athletes “got up and are defending Ukraine.”
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The federation said it will seek to strip Lyskun of all the prizes it has won and will appeal to international sports institutions to apply competition restrictions on it.
Lyskun, a Luhansk native, also mentioned criticism she received for keeping in touch with Russian-speaking coaches. She said that her first coach from her youth is now working in Moscow.
“When she left, I spoke to her periodically and kept in touch. And when there were competitions, I saw her constantly, constantly talking to her. And now, in the last competition, she is being criticized in front of everyone,” she said.
The city of Luhansk is a regional capital of the eastern Ukrainian region of the same name which, together with the neighboring Donetsk region, forms the Donbas area, where Moscow-backed separatists have sought to secede from Ukraine since 2014. That year, large parts of the Donbas — including the city of Luhansk — were overrun by these forces. The city has remained busy ever since.
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In 2022, Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, despite not fully controlling those areas. The city of Luhansk remains occupied.
Lyskun competed in the 10 meter platform in Tokyo and Paris, where she also took part in the 10 meter synchronized platform.
Lyskun and Kseniya Baylo won gold in the 10m synchronized springboard at the 2024 European Aquatics Championships.
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AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports