Diving – Oleksii Sereda: I am proud to represent Ukraine
“I’m proud to represent Ukraine” – Ukrainian water jumping athlete Oleksii Sereda said at a press conference. The Ukrainians won Thursday’s team competition at the European Games.
“I have to say today not only about sports, but also about the war because this one is going on in my homeland. It’s really hard to train in Ukraine, because every now and then we have anti-aircraft alerts. It’s really difficult to train with the knowledge that you might have to go down to the shelter right away. Of course, now we are happy that we won here. Now I feel pride. I’m proud to represent Ukraine because my country is strong, my compatriots are strong,” Sereda said during the press conference after the competition.
He added that Ukraine continues to need the help of Poland, the Poles.
He admitted that he liked the swimming pool where the competition took place: ” During my career I came to compete at many facilities, but I can count this one as one of my favorites.”
Second place went to Italy: “Yes, it’s a really good start for me, the team. However, our goal was not really a silver medal. We are very happy with this result, because we all jumped well,” – said one of the team’s athletes Chiara Pellani.
She added that surely winning a medal on the first day of the competition will bring good emotions to the team.
“I’m very happy and proud, because this is the first time we’ll go to Spain with a medal.” – Spaniard Alberto Arevalo Alcon commented on Thursday’s struggles.