Boxer's Victory 'Will Raise the Spirits of All Ukrainians'

Oleksandr Khyzhniak takes his gold medal home
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 10, 2024 12:30 PM CDT
Boxer's Victory 'Will Raise the Spirits of All Ukrainians'
Oleksandr Khyzhniak, Ukraine's Gold medalist of the 2024 Summer Olympics for the men's 80 kg boxing, hugs his wife after arriving at the train station in Kyiv on Saturday.   (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukraine's gold medal-winning boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak gave a military salute to the crowd gathered to celebrate his return to the war-torn country from the Paris Olympics. Stepping out of the special Olympic Express train at Kyiv's central railway station, Khyzhniak, 29, greeted fans, friends, and family. The athlete from Poltava is also a serviceman in Ukraine's border guard. He's the first gold medal winner in the 2024 Olympics to bring the award to his home country, the AP reports. "I truly dedicate this award to every Ukrainian, to everyone who helped and supported me, who was by my side, cheered for me all over the world," Khyzhniak said upon his arrival Saturday.

In the men's middleweight category, Khyzhniak defeated Nurbek Oralbay from Kazakhstan. Ukraine has also won gold medals in women's team fencing and women's high jump. A starstruck fan, Volodymyr Honchar, 13, was brought to the Kyiv train station by his mother to welcome his idol and get his boxing glove signed by the Olympic champion. "His victory will raise the spirits of all Ukrainians, will make us all feel good, will make us all stronger," Honchar said. Khyzhniak's victory and other Ukrainian wins in Paris have lifted the spirits of many Ukrainians in the 2½-year war against Russia. Troops are locked in deadly combat along the 620-mile border.

Khyzhniak's home region of Poltava, just 30 miles from Russia, is an area that has been a constant target for Russian air attacks. "Every time while at the competition or preparing for the competition, when I saw on my phone that air alert was announced in the Poltava region, of course I was worried about Ukraine," said Khyzhniak, per the AP. "I was worried about my family and I hoped that our military would protect all of us." (More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X