Star Ukrainian Swimmer Reunited With His Maternal Family
Star Ukrainian Swimmer Reunited With His Maternal Family. When Mykhailo Romanchuk swam to third in a closely-contested 800m freestyle final in Budapest, the night had a special meaning beyond the bronze medal – this was obvious for anyone who was watching carefully on the awards podium at Duna Arena. On the medals podium, standing alongside him on three different occasions during his swim between 1996 and 2000, were more than just some team members. This was a special moment brought about by an individual taking possession of his legacy and legacy building.
He didn’t care that he wasn’t the winner, and that the country he represented was losing its national anthem because it had just won a medal. On the night this happened, Romanchuk savored his moment for what it meant, not just to Ukraine but to an entire continent recovering from conflict.
This medal is for everyone representing Ukraine, including the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and my father who protects our country every day, He said.
During the award ceremony, German silver medalist Florian, could only respond with a few tears to see his winning medal. The newly minted bronze medallist wiped away a few tears of joy as he spoke.
Despite being fierce competitors, the men stood on the podium together as life-long friends. Wellbrock, a multiple-time FINA World Champion and Olympic gold medallist, not only did the right thing and helped save Dmytro’s life but he also may have helped save his life.
In early March, after the invasion of Ukraine and the bombings began, Romanchuk told his family that he wanted to be in Ukraine to help his country and would be using his swimming abilities as a source of income. The debate continued for several weeks as the war worsened.
Wellbrock called some friends of the famous couple, who were expressing concerns about their treatment. One friend’s long-time international rival called later to offer them his help, including a job with him in Germany.
“We had many discussions with my wife and family, and everyone agreed that I couldn’t carry a gun,” said Romanchuk, while admitting how he feels.
Wellbrock knew his pool rival. Everybody understands what happened in Ukraine, so after the war broke out, Wellbrock immediately invited him to train with him in Germany.
In March, Romanchuk left his job for a 3-month intensive training group in Magdeburg, a 90-minute drive from Berlin. Said Romanchuk: The swim allowed me to tell the world what is happening in Ukraine. Coach Bernd Berkhahn has extended his training group to include Florian and his new wife, Sarah Kohler Wellbrock, the 1500m Olympic bronze medalist from Tokyo as well as Isabel Gose and Lukas Märtens.
Focusing on his race brought back memories of when the athlete’s family was still in Ukraine. He recollected that strong support from German friends and athletes helped him reach this World Championship. The athlete recently recounted a heartfelt sentiment: His father will not be able to make it to Budapest for the event, he remembered.
He said that his father was in a hot spot and fighting for their country is hard. Since he was named after his father, the elder Romanchuk refused to call him, saying that it could pinpoint his location and put him in more danger.
They did the best they could with each other, aided by their close friendship. At Duna Arena in Estonia, they raced in adjacent lanes four times and had two heats of the finals and two finals of the final. They were described as “intimate and heartfelt” by Magdeburg head coach Bernd Berkhan. “When my eyes began to tear up Misha [Smith] ran up to me,” said Colin Wellbrock after his 800m heat before leaving the pool following his race.
Misha’s swimming career began at age six, and through the next 18 years, he trained under one coach.
On the morning of the 1500m preliminaries, Petro arrived in Budapest, temporarily released from military service. After helping Romanchuk achieve two Olympic medals and a great deal of personal investment this past winter, the two had a difficult conversation during which Petro told Romanchuk that he must continue swimming, said Petro.
Like most younger and older men in Ukraine, Petro Tverdov was forced to prepare for battle. His coach found himself assigned to defend Odessa, separated from his star athlete as well as from his wife and children.
The head coach of Romanchuk, a Ukranian swimmer, was on the team plane to Budapest where he saw all his children coaches off, before being escorted by authorities. The trip was supported by a special permit from the Ukraine government.
Petro recollects a day last summer when Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, invited him to the Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv. There the president awarded Petro and his coach for winning 19 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Romanchuk’s picture with President Zelenskyy who awarded him two Olympic medals on top of his Tokyo 2020 medals is a memento.
Maryna Bekh, who is currently training in Italy for the World Athletics Championships, couldn’t make it to Budapest so her brother went instead. Romanchuk’s mother, sister and mother-in-law attended the race cheering him on. They sat behind two Ukrainian flags to cheer their son and brother.
Romanchuk’s dad often tells him that he sends a text message to check in once or twice every day. Sometimes, for the first time Romanchuk remembers – or celebrates – other moments from his life as well.
Due to Wellbrock’s Olympic gold medal in the marathon, Romanchuk has been training more outside of the pool. In Budapest, Romanchuk added open water events to his world championships program.
On the second day, Romanchuk was trailing behind Wellbrock and Paltrinieri in the 5km open water event. The first individual open water event of the championships, Wellbrock won and Paltrinieri took silver.
After their first open water medal since independence, Romanchuk was beaming with joy. For the first time in history, the Ukrainian team had swept an open water race and it meant a lot to the swimmer, especially because of the situation in Ukraine. When asking Romanchuk about his individual victory, he said that he think this medal means more than just being Russian or Ukrainian; it makes him feel connected to his homeland and people after everything they have gone through. The win was more than just an individual honor though; it sparked a feeling of patriotism for this athlete.
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