Oleksandr Pielieshenko, a two-time European weightlifting champion and former Olympian from Ukraine, has died in the ongoing conflict with Russia. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine verified the news in a Facebook post on Monday (May 6).
Oleksandr Pielieshenko won 4th place in the 85kg light-heavyweight division at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Pielieshenko won fourth place in the 85kg light-heavyweight division at the 2016 Rio Olympics for Ukraine.
“Eternal memory of the Angel of sports — Oleksandr Peleshenko. On May 5, an honored master of sports of Ukraine died in the war with the enemy; participant of the 2016 Olympic Games, where he took 4th place; two-time European weightlifting champion.” read the post.
“From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr joined the ranks of the Armed Forces. Yesterday we received the sad news of his death,” the committee’s Facebook post further said.
Pielieshenko had not competed in any events since 2018, when he was suspended for eight years after failing a drug test.
The Ukrainian Weightlifting Association also posted a heartfelt condolence message on social media, saying: “It is with great sadness that we announce that today the heart of the honored master of sports of Ukraine, two-time European weightlifting champion Oleksandr Pielieshenko, stopped beating. We express our sincere condolences to the family and all who knew Oleksandr!”
Viktor Slobodianiuk, Ukraine’s weightlifting coach, also commented, “I express my sincere condolences to the family and relatives of Oleksandr! This is a very heavy loss for the entire weightlifting community of Ukraine. Heroes do not die.”
Pielieshenko is the first Olympian to die in the three-year-old conflict against Russia. Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The incident could raise doubt about Russian competitors’ participation in the future Paris Olympics 2024. The Russian competitors were already asked to compete under the neutral flag during the event.