Maria Lasitskene lost much more than the fourth World Cup title of her potential career due to the war started by Russia, writes Jelena Leppänen.
– I don’t know what to say to my Ukrainian racing sisters or how to look them in the eye. They, their friends and family are going through something that no human should ever have to go through.
Three-time high jump world champion and Olympic champion Maria Lasitskene wrote on June 9 to the President of the International Olympic Committee To Thomas Bach a long message.
The Russian star appealed to the German sports boss to allow the reigning Olympic champion and other track and field athletes from the eastern neighbor to the ongoing World Championships. Lasitskene made it clear that he was against his country’s military actions, but emphasized that athletes could not be held responsible for political events.
Words didn’t work. The ban on Russian athletes participating in the World Cup event in Eugene and, with a high probability, in other prestigious competitions in the next few years will remain in force, thanks to the cruel and brutal war started by the country’s leadership.
The reaction of Ukrainian competitors to Lasitskene’s appeals has been mercilessly direct. Among other things, prize competition medalists Yulia Levchenko and Jaroslava Mahutshih have made it clear that they do not want to face their Russian counterparts in sports circles.
The change has been unstoppable. Less than a year ago, Lasitskene, who celebrated his first Olympic gold, and bronze medalist Mahutshih smiled warmly at each other in the limelight of the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
The relations between the neighboring countries were already icy at that time, but the track and field athletes wanted to keep political differences away from the events on the sports fields. After the war in Eastern Ukraine that started in 2014, many athletes took a similar line, although it is known that it did not please the country’s decision makers.
At that time, the growing hatred did not extend to the sports community in the same way as to the rest of the nation. The fighting in eastern Ukraine did not prevent coaches and athletes from communicating and even cooperating across borders.
The Russian EC medalist in throwing Sergei Litvinov told that political disagreements were put aside in value competitions. After the competition performances, the path of many Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian athletes led from the stadium to a joint evening.
Some of the Ukrainian athletes even showed support to their Russian competitors when their sports careers were in danger after the ministry-led doping program was revealed. At the 2017 World Championships, Julija Levtshenko wished Lasitskene success in the midst of Russian doping scandals and competition bans affecting the country’s track and field athletes.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Ukrainian athletes expected similar solidarity from their Russian competitors. Many were shocked when, instead of condemning the bombings and missile strikes, the response was silence.
Among others, Jaroslava Mahutshih had reason to be disappointed. After the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the 19-year-old athlete was subjected to a violent attack in his home country, when the group photos taken at the stadium with Lasitskene were spread for the whole nation to see. Mahutshih’s social media channels were flooded with hate mail, and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine gave the high jumper a less-than-friendly speech.
In February, Mahutshih from the city of Dnipro had to hide in the basement from the bombings. She expected to receive at least some kind of support from the Russian racing sister she has known since 2018, but it never came.
– He (Lasitskene) did not write to any Ukrainian athlete after the war started, Mahutshih told Aftonbladet.
Oppressive silence
Lasitskene’s position is not easy. The high jumper of Caucasian origin has been a traveler of his own way in Russian sports circles, who has not avoided the criticism of sports managers and doping coaches.
At the same time, he is closely tied to Russian politics. In January 2020, Lasitskene became Minister of Defense From Sergei Shoigu the title of captain, which the ministry has given to successful athletes whether they wanted it or not.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, the jumper has been between a rock and a hard place, when the state leadership has invested in well-known sports faces to show their support for the Russian armed forces and the president to Vladimir Putin. Lasitskene refused to meet the Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsinia in March, but otherwise he has avoided taking a stand on the war and has competed in events organized in Russia.
Lasitskene tried to turn all the stones to get to the World Cup stage in Eugene. He has been the absolute top of his field for years, but had to give up his numerous career dreams for reasons beyond his control.
The 2016 Rio Olympics were missed when Russia’s ministry-led doping program and related manipulation attempts were revealed. Lasitskene stayed home as the reigning world champion, even though he himself had never been caught doping.
The decision of the Russian political leadership to attack Ukraine cost Lasitskene at least one more season and probably more in the future. The athlete is already 29 years old, which undoubtedly increases the fire to compete in international circles.
Lasitskene hasn’t hidden his frustration, but when he puts his situation in a global context, the high jumper’s value competition looks like a minor concern. It’s no wonder that the professional fate of the Russian athlete is not of interest to colleagues who, in addition to their training, have watched the destruction of their homeland.
It is impossible to imagine how Levshenko, Mahutshih and the other Ukrainians gathered in Eugene have kept themselves together when the news of the last few days has been dominated by the bombing of residential buildings, hospitals, universities and sports stadiums in their homeland.
In addition to training photos, Ukrainian stars have shared information about the consequences of the war on their social media channels, such as the 4-year-old girl who died in the Vinnytsia missile strike Liza Dmitriyeva about destiny (you move to another service).
There are enough similar fates, and the more there are, the clearer it becomes that the differences between the former brotherly nations will not be mended for many generations.
Over the decades, a special solidarity developed between Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian athletes, thanks to shared history, language and cultural factors.
Now all that’s left of that bond is shame and hatred. It weighs more than any value competition win.