Ukrainian 800-meter runner Olha Ljakhova, who took the European Championship bronze in 2019 (indoors) and 2018 (outdoors), is in Oslo for Thursday's Diamond League competition Bislett Games in the Norwegian capital.
When the war broke out, she and her husband, one-year-old daughter, mother and brother were in the Sumy region.
- I woke up on February 24 and read that almost the whole of Ukraine was under bomb attack from Russia.
We packed all our things and tried to escape quickly from Sumy because it is so close to the Russian border, says Ljakhova in a long interview with NRK.
"Tried to move her"
She says that sport was unimportant for a long time.
- There were daily air alarms in my city.
We hid in shelters every day.
We did not think about competition, we just thought about living.
Lyakhova and her family escaped the Russian attacks and after four weeks managed to escape to Poland.
Her grandmother, who lived in Rubizhne, was one of those who lost her life as a result of the bombings.
- We tried many times to move her to us, but she did not want to.
Before the war, she became so ill that she could no longer walk, so a neighbor helped her.
During the first ten days of the war, we heard nothing from her, but then the neighbor called and told us that she had passed away.
High goals
After three weeks in Poland, the 30-year-old received help from a sponsor to go to Portugal to start training.
Now she has her base in Bern, Switzerland.
Despite everything that happens, Ljakhova, who has a personal best of 1.58.64 and an annual best of 2.01.58, has high goals with the season.
- I love athletics and it is the first season after the birth, so it is clear that I have high goals for the season.
It is the World Cup and my main goal is to take European Championship gold.
I want to work hard and do my best in this competition (Bislett) and in the future, she says.