Oleksandr Pielieshenko dead: Ukraine’s Olympian weightlifter killed in action while defending his country

Two-time European champion weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who finished fourth for Ukraine during the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 has died during the conflict with Russia.

The 30-year-old joined the armed forces soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. Pielieshenko's death makes him the first Olympian to die during the war in Ukraine, according to the Guardian. The news was confirmed by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, who said Pielieshenko died during combat operations. “War takes the best of us…heroes do not die.” Said weightlifting coach and Ukrainian Weightlifting federation (UWF) board member Viktor Slobodinakiuk.

The UWF added in a post on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that we inform you that the heart of merited master of sports of Ukraine…Oleksandr Pielieshenko has stopped beating today. We express our sincere condolences to the family and everyone who knew Oleksandr.”

Another Ukrainian Olympian, Vladyslav Heraskevych, said that around 450 Ukrainians related to professional sports had now died in the war.

“These people should be developing sports in our country and living their lives, but now they are being killed,” he said. “At the same time Russian athletes who support the war are now competing in international sports. I can’t understand how that is possible. This is madness.”