On May 8, the majestic three-masted sailboat Belem will dock in the southern French city of Marseille, with a precious kind of cargo on board: the Olympic flame. Twenty-seven athletes – the same number as the European Union (EU) member states – will take turns carrying it. They will be accompanied by a 28th athlete, who will be their captain, at just 21 years of age: Mariia Vysochanska, a Ukrainian gymnast and also the daughter of a soldier currently stationed on the front lines of the war against Russia.
The young woman, with her discreet smile and long hair, told her story; describing her neighborhood of Pechersk, in Kyiv, where “the smell of lilac flowers makes people’s heads spin.” A champion in rhythmic gymnastics, Vysochanska has trained relentlessly in the capital, although her sessions have been interrupted by air alerts. “I made it! I’ve got my tickets in my pocket!” she rejoiced. Her journey to Marseille will be almost as long and tortuous as that undergone by the flame.
Taking the night train, Vysochanska will cross Ukraine, from which no airliner has left for two years, surrendering the skies to Russian missiles. After crossing the Polish border, she will board a first plane, before a second, in Germany, takes her to her destination. “It’s very important not to miss any transfers!” Three layovers and 24 hours of travel, all in order to carry the Olympic flame on behalf of her country, a candidate for accession to the European Union, for a few meters; a few moments; and for posterity.
A powerful symbol of support for Ukraine
Vysochanska knows that her presence on Europe Day, May 9, will be a powerful symbol of support for Ukraine’s European aspirations and its participation in the Olympic Games. “It’s a great source of pride that goes beyond my wildest dreams,” said a smiling Vysochanska, who was chosen by France’s sports ministry and the French Institute of Ukraine (IFU). Despite her young age, she has already fulfilled the great dream of every athlete: To take part in the Olympic Games. That was in Tokyo, in 2021. “I went despite the tough Covid break.”
During her preparations, however, the champion had broken her foot twice; the second time just three months before the start of the Games. Despite her doctors’ pessimistic prognoses, she was able to travel to Tokyo and compete with a pin in her foot. “I wanted to fight, just as my country is fighting,” said Vysochanska, whose loved ones call “Maritchka.”
Indeed, just as her father is fighting. Originally from Lviv, in the west of the country, Oleg Vysochansky went to the Donbas front in 2014, when separatists, guided and armed by Russia, tried to secede. A company commander, he took part in the bloody battle for control of Donetsk airport. The siege of this site, which has become an emblem of the Donbas war, lasted 282 days.
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