The father of the Ukrainian athlete came from the front to support his daughter at the 2024 Olympics. Photo

The father of Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Maria Vysochenko managed to escape the war with Russia to support his daughter at the rhythmic gymnastics competition in group exercises. The day before, the Ukrainians took 3rd place in the qualification and will start the final battle for a medal on August 10 at 15:00.

Oleh Vysochanskyi traveled by train to Kyiv and from there to Lviv. At the same time, his wife and mother Maria was buying tickets to Paris.

"We were flying in a thunderstorm, with lightning, but we got there safely, we were not late, we figured out the Paris metro! And these emotions we got... Because anything could have happened: they could have failed to qualify, but we would have supported them too. When your child accomplishes what he or she dreamed of, they succeed, their team succeeds, and they wave at you, happy... It gives me goosebumps, "Suspilne quoted Iryna Vysochanska as saying.

According to Vysochanska, the performance gave the gymnasts "extraordinary emotions," but she was most moved by the presence of her family in the arena.

"I was crying so much, you can't imagine, because they were not supposed to let my dad go. After the performance, I found them, saw them, and my mom and dad were waving to me. Honestly, I didn't even expect it to happen. Miracles do happen, they happen to us - the main thing is to believe in them," the athlete admitted.

In 2015, Oleh Vysochanskyi took part in the 242-day battle for Donetsk airport, where he was wounded. After the outbreak of full-scale war, he returned to the army and is now defending Ukraine as part of the Armed Forces.

"I want to believe that my presence and my aura will give her and the whole team confidence somewhere. My daughter and I, as she says, have our own space. Their team is good, and young. But the moral and psychological state is important both in war and in sports. A lot depends on it. Because you can teach a fighter everything, give him a gold-plated assault rifle, but if he doesn't understand why he's doing it and how to do it, there will be no result. It's wasted time and money," Oleh said in an interview with the press service of the NOC of Ukraine.

In May 2024, Maria took part in the Olympic Torch Relay ceremony in France, where she led a team of athletes from 27 European Union countries.

Maria is a two-time European champion (2020), as well as a bronze medalist at the World Championships in Spain (2023).

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