Ukrainian boxer sacrifices Olympic dreams and life to fight against Russia’s invasion

Associated Press

ROMNY, Ukraine (AP) — More than 400 Ukrainian athletes have been killed since the start of the war, including many of the country’s brightest Olympics prospects. Among them is Maksym Halinichev, a young boxer who signed up as a soldier months after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Halinichev was wounded once and returned to the battlefield. He died at age 22 and his body has never been recovered. Ukraine has sent many of its Olympic hopefuls to train abroad ahead of the Summer Games in Paris. But many, like Halinichev, choose to defend their country’s honor on the battlefield instead of the sports arena. For their coaches and loved ones, it’s yet another aspect of Ukraine’s potential lost to the war.