Reception:
The debut award for the Ukrainian diving team at the World Championship, currently taking place in the Qatari capital Doha, was brought by 18-year-old Oleksiy Sereda and 16-year-old Kirill Boliukh.
In synchronized platform diving with a score of 406.47 points, the boys managed to rise to the third step of the podium, surpassing only the medalists from the Olympic Games from China and Great Britain.
It’s worth noting that this award became their second joint achievement in their careers. At last year’s World Championship 2023 in Fukuoka, the Ukrainians became silver medalists, which allowed them to secure a spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
For Oleksiy Sereda, this medal became his third in his career. He won his debut award together with Sofia Lyskun in mixed pair synchronized platform diving.
“Until the third dive, I didn’t believe that we could climb onto the podium,” Sereda shares his impressions after the final. “We are proud that we succeeded and were able to please our country, which is still at war. We constantly feel the danger to our lives and the lives of our loved ones at home. It’s hard to focus solely on training when air raid sirens are sounding.”
After the championship, the team will return to Kyiv, to their home pool “Liko,” where they will continue preparing for important competitions of the season.