On September 1, 2019, Vasiliy Lomachenko published a photo on his social networks where he proudly wore his three world belts. It was still the time of recklessness. Sunday, the boxing champion published another snapshot of him, very different…
The Ukrainian sportsman, who celebrated his 34th birthday two weeks ago, appears this time in army uniform and carries a weapon slung over his shoulder. A post on his Facebook account. The double Olympic champion – featherweight in 2008 in Beijing and lightweight in 2012 in London – decided to put away his gloves to defend his country against the Russian military invasion.
He joined a territorial defense battalion in Ukraine. According to some media Vasiliy Lomachenko was in Greece when the invasion began. His return flight to Ukraine on Friday was then delayed due to the grounding of air traffic. Determined to reach his country to defend it, he flew to Bucharest and crossed Romania on Saturday to reach his home outside Odessa to join his family.
Other committed athletes
If he is not the best known boxer by the general public, Lomachenko is a reference in the middle of the noble art. Holder of several world belts – WBO world featherweight champion from 2014 to 2016, WBO super featherweight world champion from 2016 to 2018, WBA & WBO world lightweight champion from 2018 to 2020 and WBC in 2019. His commitment is an act all the stronger as he had to fight to recover his lightweight belt against Australian George Kambosos in June.
“We are so proud of our boxers, who are champions in their sport but also in war,” said Mykola Kovalchuk, president of the Ukrainian Boxing Federation. We are proud to be Ukrainians. »
Vasiliy Lomachenko is not the first athlete to join the Ukrainian army to defend their country against the Russian invader. Among the first to enlist and take up arms.
Bellator MMA champion Yaroslav Amosov has announced that he will stay and “defend” Ukraine.
The Ukrainian fencers, who were to face their Russian counterparts on Sunday at a World Cup team foil stage in Cairo, have decided to withdraw from the competition. Dressed in yellow and blue, the men’s team members held up signs written in English: “Stop Russia! Stop the war! » ; “Save Ukraine! Save Europe. »
For his part, Yaroslav Popovych, a former Ukrainian cyclist and current sports director of the Trek-Segafredo team, feels ready to take up arms.
On Sunday the former Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky announced that he would take up arms to fight against the Russian invasion in his country. Retired since the start of the season, the ex-31st world player justified his decision, in tears, with Sky Sports.