True unity and mutual support among Ukrainian communities are forged not only on the home front but also on the sports stage. As part of the national project “Side by Side: United Communities,” Kropyvnytskyi once again warmly and hospitably welcomed athletes from the Bakhmut community.
From May 10 to 23, students from the powerlifting department of the Bakhmut City Council’s Comprehensive Children’s and Youth Sports School No. 1 held another intensive training camp here in preparation for crucial international and national competitions.
Thanks to the coordinated cooperation between the Bakhmut and Kropyvnytskyi communities, as well as with the assistance of the Kirovohrad Regional Powerlifting Federation, a branch of the Ukrainian Powerlifting Federation, the Bakhmut athletes continued to train free of charge at the Kropyvnytskyi Municipal Children’s and Youth Sports School No. 4. The training was led by top-level coaches Serhii and Kateryna Lyubchenko, who are guiding their athletes step by step toward new athletic heights.
The training camp was an important stage of preparation for Danylo Potomakhin and Ivan Trunov. On May 30 in Warsaw, the boys will defend the honor of Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast, and their hometown of Bakhmut at the World Junior Bench Press Championships.
Vladimir Pugach has also begun training for upcoming national competitions alongside them. On May 3, he won a bronze medal at the European Junior Powerlifting Championships, taking a silver in the deadlift and bronze medals in the squat and bench press.
Training side by side with the juniors was Anastasia Umanets, the bronze medalist at the Ukrainian Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships for women, who is currently actively preparing for upcoming national competitions.
An important part of the training camp was the athletes’ visit to the “With Bakhmut in Our Hearts. Kropyvnytskyi” center. The athletes had the opportunity to talk with fellow Bakhmut natives who currently live in the Kirovohrad region, sharing their feelings and plans for the future.
Based on materials from the Bakhmut City Council