Defending Olympic champion, Oleksandr Abramenko has won the first medal in Beijing for his home country of Ukraine in the aerial freestyle competition. The 33 year-old freestyler from Kyiv thrilled the crowd with a quintuple-twist jump to score 116.5 points, good enough to win the silver medal. Qi Guangpu of China took gold while Ilia Burov from the Russian Olympic Committee team earned bronze for the second straight Olympics.
“I’m so happy for this silver and really proud of myself that I’ve won the first medal for Ukraine at these Games,” Abramenko said. “I’m really happy that I made my five twists, although the landing was not really good, but enough for second place.”
During the medal ceremony Abramenko and Burov celebrated with a hug, a welcome embrace as tensions rise between the two countries.
“This award is for our country. The competition in Beijing was very difficult. It is freezing, the situation with COVID-19. However, I’m very glad I made such a hard leap. Ukraine, thank you for your support! This medal is for our country and every Ukrainian,” said Abramenko.
These are the fifth Olympics for the freestyle veteran. Abramenko, who won gold in PyeongChang 2018, was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony and put to rest the myth, or curse, that the team’s flag bearer historically does not medal at the Olympics.
“As you know, there are many myths that this is a bad omen. But see for yourself, I won a medal. So, carrying the flag of my native state is a great honor and pride! And now I can say that it’s a fortune.” Abramenko enthusiastically said.
Abramenko and Qi held up flags from their countries on the podium, while Burov pointed to the ROC logo on his left arm for the Russian Olympic Committee. The display of sportsmanship and camaraderie between Burov and Abramenko could be seen as another call for peace during these Winter Games.
Last week Vladyslav Heraskevych flashed a small sign after his skeleton run that read “No War in Ukraine”. The Ukrainian Olympic team followed with a call for peace the next day.
As many countries in the NATO alliance are worried due to Russian forces conducting drills along its neighboring border with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has denied any intentions to escalate a perceived conflict.
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