Anna Ryzhykova, athletics as a symbol of resistance

Anna Ryzhykova is one of the best athletes of Ukraine in recent years. His palms proved it. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has caused many athletes to be affected and have to find a way to continue their professional activity, with the emotional cost it brings, away from their land while in their heads they stay in the fight.

Ryzhykova (Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine; 1989) specializes in speed tests. At the 2012 London Olympics, he won bronze in the 4×400 relay. That same year she won her first silver in the 400 hurdles at the Helsinki European Championship, the same metal she achieved in Zurich 2014 and Berlin 2018. Last year, with Ukraine mired in armed conflict with Russia, she won bronze in the 400 hurdles at the European from Munich.

The Ukrainian athlete is one of the beneficiaries of the so-called ‘Solidarity Fund’ of the World Association of Athletics with Ukrainewhere World Athletics helped many Ukrainian athletes and people close to them, including immediate family members, coaches and technical officials.

Last year, the World Athletics Association distributed more than $220,000 to more than 100 Ukrainian athletes. to help them train and thus qualify and participate in the World Cup in Eugene (United States).

Of all the athletes who benefited, seventy percent were women. With the #WeGrowAthletics campaign for 2023, World Athletics has pledged to repeat the initiative and once again allocate a significant amount of money to this project.

“You can’t even imagine how important the solidarity fund is for us. I hope no one feels this despair when you have to forget about your career and think only about how your family will survive and how you will survive. The solidarity fund saved the careers of our athletes and gave us the opportunity to fight for our country in our own way,” said Ryzhykova in a telematic conversation.

“Ukraine has 40 million inhabitants and Russia 140 million. To fight such a great country, every Ukrainian stands up to defend our homeland. A big role was played here and continues to be played by Ukrainian women, who did not stand aside, but immediately took leading positions. Many went to the army, others became volunteers, and each in his profession took a leadership position aimed at helping Ukraine in various walks of life. This is also the case of sport,” he said.

“70% of the fund’s beneficiaries are female athletes. While men fight on the front linesWe do everything we can to help them. By participating in competitions, we do not let the world forget about the existence of Ukraine. We attract attention to our achievements, we give interviews, we interact with other athletes and fans so that people can see for themselves what is happening in the country. This is how we fight Russian propaganda and do not allow Ukraine’s honor to be tarnished,” he insisted.

“By raising the flag in competitions we show the whole world that we are strong and honest, capable of fighting and to overcome difficulties no matter what. We deserve to live and protect our country, but now we need help and support,” he said.

“Possibilities for training in Ukraine are limited, sports bases are destroyed, there are constant threats of rocket attacks and we live in fear. The training camp before the World Cups in Oregon last year gave us the opportunity to recover, calm down, feel like normal athletes and prepare well for the competition”, commented Ryzhykova, who already recognized one of the aspects that suffer the most in a situation with such a mood.

“Mental health is hard to regain and we can’t do it until the war is over. No matter how far I am from Ukraine, I still cry and worry about the tragedies that happen in Ukraine every day,” he said.

“It is difficult to live with the death of friends and family, the destruction of our homes and forced displacement.. We are fighting and a living example of this is Katerina Tabashnik (high jump bronze medalist at the last European indoor track in Istanbul). He won a medal and dedicated it to his mother, who was killed by the Russians this summer.”

Anna intends to apply for an administrative position within the international athletics organization chart in the coming years.. The first step was to elect, last summer, a member of the Athletes Commission of the World Athletics Association, an entity that, through its ‘eLearning’ platform, provides women with the training and skills they need to achieve your goals, while being flexible enough to meet your lifestyle and family commitments.

The goal of the World Athletics Board of Directors is that by 2027 there will be equality, half and half, among all its members.

Anna Ryzhykova trains in the United States with her coach Volodymyr Kravchenko and with his partner Anastasia Brizhyna.

“In track and field, you have to emphasize the importance of equality. It’s the most accessible sport for women because we have the same number of events, the same amount of prize money and the fans are equal loves male and female athletes. No. The same can be said for other sports,” Anna admitted.

“It’s great that athletics promotes these projects and continues to make strides toward equality in leadership positions.. I believe that by 2027 we will have 50% female representation in the World Athletics Council and this will be a great opportunity for women because we want to progress in our sport and we thank the World Athletics Association for helping us achieve this ,” he concluded.