Picture Illustration by The Every day Beast/Handout
KYIV—Yelena Handei generally thinks it’s higher to not watch her son’s largest races reside on TV. “My coronary heart would possibly cease throughout these 40 seconds,” she tells The Every day Beast. “It’s higher for me to look at a replay.”
It’s not the one factor she has to fret about.
Whereas Oleh Handei is in Beijing for the Olympics—to compete within the quick observe velocity skating for Ukraine—his household again house is braced for an invasion by President Putin’s Russian military.
The Handeis know the carnage that may very well be wrought if Russian forces surge over the border, as family members have already suffered. “My cousin needed to escape from japanese Ukraine, when the warfare started in 2014; her dad and mom are nonetheless there and their lives are torn aside,” Yelena says, after inviting The Every day Beast into the household’s residence.
Western governments worry Putin is on the verge of following up the 2014 incursion in East Ukraine with a full invasion, which might see Russian troops attain Kyiv—the place Yelena and her 13 kids reside—inside days of an aerial bombardment on the border lands.
Oleh Handei, 22, informed The Every day Beast that he couldn’t escape the shadow of warfare as he arrived in Beijing to organize for the most important race of his life.
He was even confronted over the brewing battle by a number of Russians on the Olympics. “A gaggle of males got here as much as me, I'm not positive which sport they represented, they'd Russian Olympic uniforms on they usually requested me some bizarre questions, like why I used to be even in Beijing, when my nation was so poor and when the warfare was about to begin,” Oleh informed The Every day Beast, over the cellphone. “I answered them with dignity: ‘Let’s speak about these points another time, guys,’ I mentioned, since I didn't need any provocations. Apart from, one can obtain victory by dignity.”
The battle creeps into each sphere of life for individuals who reside on either side of the border.
Concern of impending warfare reached boiling level on Friday simply as Oleh was getting ready to compete in warmth 3 of the five hundred meters.
“My coronary heart is in ache, after I learn the information,” he mentioned. “However it's not possible to cease.”
Ultimately, Oleh got here fourth in his warmth, failing to qualify for the later phases, however he mentioned he had felt “overwhelmed with delight” for having the ability to function within the Opening Ceremony underneath the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag: “On the time when all the world talks about the specter of warfare hanging over my nation, our relationships with Moscow, we, Ukraine’s finest athletes marched earlier than cameras underneath our nation’s flag—that was by far the most important spotlight of my life.”
He mentioned he might image each single smiling face of his household gathered in entrance of TV units as he made his approach across the Chook’s Nest stadium.
Again within the southwestern suburbs of Kyiv—regardless of the threats from Russia—the Handei house is a joyful place. Oleh’s three little sisters—Zarina, 7 Alisa, 6, and Dina, 4—are dancing of their spacious kitchen as their white cat Leo watches on. Oleh’s older brother, Yaroslav, 23, who can also be an athlete and a champion of a number of worldwide competitions, was again residence and hugging a big Labrador referred to as Sindy.
Yaroslav Handei, Oleh’s brother, can also be a global athlete. Their mom Yelena loves to indicate off their medals.
Anna Nemtsova/The Every day Beast
Yelena sat down to speak for a second on a protracted sofa, which stretches underneath a gallery of portraits of her seven organic kids and the six others who had been adopted.
“Almost each little one I've, together with our 4-year-old Dina, can skate and has introduced us medals,” mentioned Yelena, pointing at a wall lined in a whole lot of medals and trophies. “This essential place in our residence reveals you the way a lot work my kids and we, their dad and mom, have dedicated to successful for Ukraine.”
She mentioned seven years of battle with Russia had taken a toll on sporting services inside Ukraine. “Sport needs to be a peaceable place however the warfare has robbed it of its essences and assets, even on the Olympic staff degree. When my son goes to coach in Kazakhstan, he can see how clean and ideal the ice is there for brief observe skaters. Earlier than the warfare, we had significantly better high quality services,” she mentioned.
Two of her different sons, who're additionally prime athletes, moved to Spain and Poland, so she was completely satisfied that Oleh continued to carry out underneath the Ukrainian flag in Beijing.
Yaroslav, who additionally competes for his nation, mentioned: “Our victories would have by no means occurred if not for our mom, who was all the time pushing, educating us self-discipline, motivating us… In our household we consider that sport is apolitical.”
As Yelena placed on her coat to go and accumulate considered one of her daughters from dance class, she mentioned she couldn't bear the thought of full-scale warfare coming to Kyiv. “I can't even give it some thought—I'm a mom of 13 kids,” she mentioned.
Oleh, who will likely be again in Kyiv this week, definitely is considering it. He says “if the difficulty comes,” and Russian troops cross into his beloved Ukraine there is just one place he will likely be, “on the frontlines.”