The war in Ukraine has claimed the life of its first Olympic athlete. Former weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko died last Sunday while defending his country. The news were confirmed by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine on Monday 6th May through a Telegram page. “From the first days of the large-scale invasion, Oleksandr joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, and yesterday we received the sad news of his death,” they shared, expressing solidarity with his family and loved ones.

The Ukrainian Weightlifting Federation also confirmed the news and wanted to pay tribute to Pielieshenko. Even weightlifting coach and member of the UWF executive board, Viktor Slobodianiuk, wanted to remember him, saying, “War takes the best of us… heroes do not die,” he commented.

Another Ukrainian athlete, Vladyslav Heraskevych, stated that around 450 Ukrainians associated with professional sports have died in the war. “These people should have been developing sports in our country and living their lives, but now they are being killed,” he concluded.

Pielieshenko was 30 years old, Olympian, and achieved a fourth-place finish in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 in the Men’s 85KG category in weightlifting. Additionally, he was a two time European Weightlifting Champion.