Ukrainian former Olympic weightlifter dies in war against Russia

By Yunus Kaymaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukraine’s former Olympic weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko was killed while serving in the military in the war against Russia, the Ukrainian Olympic Committee announced on Monday.

Pielieshenko, 30, is the first Olympic to die in the war in Ukraine, the committee said on Telegram.

“War takes the best of us. This is a very heavy loss for the entire weightlifting community of Ukraine. (But) Heroes do not die,” National coach Viktor Slobodianiuk wrote on Facebook.

He won gold medals at the European championships in both 2016 and 2017.

Pielieshenko joined the army following Russia's military intervention in Ukraine in 2022.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022, has claimed the lives of at least 10,500 civilians and injured more than 20,000 others, according to UN figures.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar