Even during the Olympics, my thoughts were no longer exclusively focused on sports. This could be observed in the Zhangjiakou biathlon arena: as the athletes competed in their races, more and more Ukrainian flags appeared at the finish line as the games went on, apparently being waved and waved by team members. Other flags usually did not hang there. On February 18, when the final mass starts were taking place, Dmytro Pidruchyni skidded past them to the finish, he is the best Ukrainian in the World Cup. Now, barely two weeks later, all that is a long time ago and Pidruzhnyi is in a different life.
For the majority of biathletes, the season in Kontiolahti in Finland is just entering its last third, for Pidrutschnji and many colleagues it is a matter of survival at home: With a photo on Instagram, the 30-year-old gave a face to those who are currently fighting their country against the defend Russian invaders. Wearing a uniform and helmet, Pidruchnyi wrote: “I am currently in my hometown of Ternopil, serving in the National Guard of Ukraine. This photo was taken during the air raid alert.” Including many solidarity comments, also from those who can pursue their sport in Finland.
His last race as a biathlete for the time being: Dmytro Pidrutschnji (left) at the Olympic mass start two weeks ago in Zhangjiakou.
(Photo: Hannah McKay/Reuters)
Among other things, he is helping to set up barricades, Pidchuzhnyi told journalists from the Norwegian television channel NRK. You know each other from all the years when it was still about hits and times; or the question of who is dueling with the Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö on the track. 2019 was Pidruchny’s year when he surpassed himself, winning World Championship gold in the Östersund pursuit: without ever having been on the podium after an individual race before. Five hits in the last shooting session paved the way to the title. Pidruzhnyi then sat bent over with his forehead in the snow for almost a minute, more marked by bewilderment than exhaustion. The sport was able to tell the story of the unsuspecting surprise winner with him. The story they all aspire to.
Bö could hardly hide his disappointment at the time, he had planned with gold and not with silver. But all that is unimportant and very far away. “That he’s on the frontlines and he cares about his city and wants to protect his people is so strong,” Bö told NRK, “it’s so far from the world that we know and I’m struggling to bring it into to put words to it.” He himself ended his season prematurely after four gold and one bronze medals at the games in China. Erik Lesser, who announced the end of his career for this spring on Thursday, also commented, he said on ZDF: “In such a situation, first of all travel home and then swap the Olympic uniform for the military uniform, and then family, friends and yours Defending the country – I don’t want to imagine that.”
The Norwegians wear messages of peace on their headbands at the World Cup
Other athletes from the Ukrainian team are also fighting Russian troops; for women Julia Dschima, who won Olympic gold in the relay in 2014. Two weeks after the last showdown in Zhangjiakou, everything is different than before, which was also evident when the World Cup races resumed on Thursday: before the starting gun, images of Ukrainian athletes ran over the video screen next to the shooting range, including that of Yevhen Malyshev , who, according to the world association, fell in the war. The 19-year-old had not recently competed in any international races, but was considered a great talent in Ukrainian biathlon in his youth.
Many biathletes tried to express their solidarity with the Ukrainians with yellow and blue hearts on their clothing or weapons. Like all Norwegians, Tiril Eckhoff wrote “No war please” on his headband, clearly visible to the cameras. And then you could also think of Pidruzhnyi, who had already posted before his photo in uniform: “Don’t tell me that sport and politics have nothing to do with each other. They have to do with each other when soldiers and civilians die in my home country while you that reads here.” Incidentally, the teams from Russia and Belarus have been banned from starting by the world association until further notice.
