Ukrainian Olympian and two-time European champion Oleksandr Pielieshenko has died on the front lines of Russia¡¯s war in Ukraine at age 30, the Ukrainian Weightlifting Federation (UWF) said on Monday.
Pielieshenko ranked fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the men¡¯s 85 kg category and won gold at the sport¡¯s European championships in 2016 and 2017. He was banned after failing a drug test in 2018.
¡°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,¡± the UWF said in a post on Facebook.
¡°We express our sincere condolences to the family and everyone who knew Oleksandr.¡±
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine also paid tribute to the weightlifter, saying he had joined the armed forces in the early days of the invasion.
¡°War takes the best of us ... heroes do not die,¡± said weightlifting coach and UWF board member Viktor Slobodianiuk.
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