Young athletes from Ukraine escape war, train in Albania

ELBASAN, Albania –

Young Ukrainian track and field athletes fled war zones to seek safety in Albania. Their minds are still divided between the two nations.

“I miss my grandmother’s advice and mother’s food.” saidMaria Lariva (17 years old), who throws the shotput. “I miss my coach, the stadium, my home, my country, and my coach.

Lariva and seven teenage athletes were evacuated out of Bakhmut, a city located in the Donetsk region. Bakhmut is part Ukraine’s industrial heartland. Russia has been focusing its fighting there since its initial failure to sweep the country and take over the capital.

Their families are still here.

“I speak with my family every single day. “I talk with my family many times per day.” saidValentyn Loboda (17 years old), a pole vaulter, has been practicing the long jump ever since the group arrived at Elbasan on 31 March. “We talk about what’s happening in Ukraine and how it’s going in Albania.”

With the help of the Albanian Olympic Committee and the city, the eight athletes train at the Sport Club Elbasani. It is about 45 km (30 miles) south Tirana.

It was difficult to leave home and the train ride was hazardous.

“(Everybody) lied on their backs, shutting all doors and windows for 30 minutes in fear of the planes flying very close to them,” Lariva saidThis article describes the journey from Kramatorsk and Dubno.

They then traveled to Lutsk, before crossing into Poland and flying to Albania.

The athletes compete in a variety of track and field sports. Some of the athletes are hoping to achieve the necessary standards to compete in the World Athletics U20 Championships, Cali, Colombia in early august.

Lariva shows a video she received from her mother that showed a large area created by a bomb near her house. saidWhen her mother doesn’t answer the phone, she weeps.

She stated, “During shelling there’s no internet.” said.

Pavlo Zdorozhiy is a 71 year-old coach who worries that this will impact his future career. But he saidHe is more concerned about the deaths of people in his country, especially the children, and seeing the horrible views every single day, the broken houses.

Artin Kovaci is the Elbasani Sports Club’s head. saidThe hosts make every effort to satisfy “any request” and accompany the athletes nearly all day.

Even more pleasant was the visit of Izmir Smajlaj, an Albanian long-jumper, to Elbasan in order to meet Loboda. Smajlaj, the country’s indoor record holder, won the gold medal in the 2017 European indoor championships held in Belgrade (Serbia).

Loboda said, “We were friends on Facebook.” said. “It was amazing that Izmir the great athlete came to meet with me.”

Loboda saidHe hopes to be a successful athlete and to one day teach English in Ukraine.

Loboda said, “I want back because my family is missing me.” said. “Albania is a great country, but we’re Ukrainian.” We want to return to our family, our home.