The double European weightlifting champion Oleksandr Pielieshenko has died in the war against Russia.
While much of Europe has focused on the conflict in Gaza, Ukraine continues to battle Russia’s invasion. In this conflict, Ukraine has lost another sports figure.
Weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, a double European Championship gold medalist, has died in the war, according to the Ukrainian Weightlifting Federation as reported by AFP.
“It is with great sorrow that we announce that the heart of the great Ukrainian athlete Oleksandr Pielieshenko has stopped beating,” the federation stated.
In April 2023, Ukraine’s sports minister reported that 262 of the country’s athletes had died in the war up to that point.
Twice a European Gold Medalist
The 30-year-old weightlifter joined the Ukrainian army shortly after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to the Russian Olympic Committee.
Pielieshenko won gold in the 85 kg category at the European Championships in both 2016 and 2017. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he finished fourth.
The Ukrainian national weightlifting coach, Victor Slobodianiuk, wrote on Facebook that Pielieshenko “died a hero defending Ukraine.”
