From bomb shelters to podiums: why FISU Games success means so much to Ukraine’s rhythmic gymnasts

ESSEN - For Ukraine’s rhythmic gymnastics team, competing on the international stage means more than just balancing sports and studies. Behind every graceful movement lies a story of resilience, fear and unwavering dedication – shaped by the war that still rages in their homeland.

"In the morning, we wake up and must go to training and work hard, every day, to chase our dream,” 19-year-old Valeriia Panchenko told the FISU Games News Service.

“It’s difficult. Some nights, we don’t sleep because it’s so dangerous. Rockets are flying, there are air attacks and we have to go to safe places underground."

This makes their efforts earning the silver medal in the group all-around competition at the 2025 FISU World University Games even more meaningful.

“It’s such an important medal for us,” Panchenko said, her teammates nodding beside her. "We worked a lot (for this)."

War and training

The war is not the only distraction in their pursuit of sporting success. Training hard to perfect their routines does not leave much time for studying.

“We’re always training, in the morning and evening,” Panchenko said. “We study online and during a really small part of our day (when we’re not) training, we go to university and do some exams. It’s difficult.”

Not having a lot of free time does have its benefits, though, rhythmic gymnastics serving as a form of escapism.

“Sport helps me in the (current) situation (with the war),” Panchenko said. “When we train, our mind goes into training. We don’t think about the war, about the whole situation."

But even focusing on rhythmic gymnastics is not always possible.

"When we train, we (often) hear the alarms and attacks. We then have to stop training and hide. It’s so scary.

“We (in our group) help each other through difficult times. We support each other. That helps.

"It was our dream to win a medal here.”

Panchenko pauses, before teammate Daniela Chebatarova adds: "Dreams do come true."

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