“It pains my soul that I lost because of this misunderstanding”
Russian Paralympian Evgeny Torsunov won the gold medal in long jump at the Paris Paralympics in the T36 class, which is competed by athletes with coordination disorders such as hypertension, ataxia and athetosis, as well as cerebral palsy.
Torsunov set a new Paralympic record by jumping 5.83 metres.
It is interesting that before the decisive attempt all the gold contenders achieved the same result – 5.76 m. But Torsunov managed to make the best jump of his career with the last of his strength.
The Russian Paralympian’s victory infuriated Ukrainian athlete Alexander Litvinenko, who took only the bronze medal. He could not improve on his 5.76m result and lost to Brazilian Azer Ramos, who jumped the same length but had fewer attempts.
After the competition, the 34-year-old athlete spoke emotionally about her defeat in an interview with Ukrainian media.
“My soul aches a little because of the loss I have because of this misunderstanding. The National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine quotes Litvinenko as saying: I have a grudge against myself.
The athlete stressed that he meant Torsunova by saying “misunderstanding”. He also stated that none of the Russian Paralympic athletes are actually neutral athletes and that they all support Russia’s special operation in Ukraine.
Litvinenko expressed confidence that Russian athletes will be photographed with the heroes of the Northern Military District when they return to their homeland.
“I spent all of February and March in the basement, I couldn’t sleep well, I couldn’t train. They trained in silence.
Having fun, smiling. “We have what we have,” Litvinenko said.
The athlete also stated that one of his friends was also missing.
“I would give my medal without hesitation to see my friend again,” the Ukrainian Paralympian said.
“Ukrainians communicate normally with Russians, but not on camera”
Not all Ukrainian athletes support Litvinenko’s view.
Thus, Igor Tsvetov, an athletics athlete who competes in the T35 category (among those with coordination problems), communicates well with Russians.
This was stated by domestic Paralympic athletes Artem Kalashyan and Dmitry Safronov, who won silver and bronze medals in the 100-meter race won by Tsvetov.
“He communicates with us normally, as he does with all athletes. He does not only do this in front of the camera. We wish him good luck.
If you win, all the better. So I was better today,” Safronov said. “Match TV”.
The Russian athlete noted that Tsvetov comes from Eastern Ukraine and is therefore more loyal to Russians.
“Our competition is only on the track. As for the rest, we are athletes, not politicians. “We do our job,” Safronov said.
Russians rock the Paralympics
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has allowed 88 Russians with neutral status to compete in Paris. All Paralympic athletes have undergone additional verification that they have not publicly expressed support for the CBO.
After the results of five days of competition, the Russians won 31 medals: seven gold, 14 silver and 10 bronze.
Swimmers Andrey Kalina, Roman Zhdanov, Dmitry Chernyaev and Valeria Shabalina, runners Alexander Yaremchuk and Evgeny Torsunov and pole vaulter Alexey Churkin brought gold to Russia.
At the regular Olympics in Paris, only 15 Russians competed, winning silver medals in tennis brought by young athletes Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider, performing in pairs.
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Source: Gazeta
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.