MILAN – Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak was exhausted last summer as he trained for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games.
Drained, anxious and often unable to sleep, the 21-year-old could not stop thinking about his family back in Ukraine: His father is in the army on the front lines and his mother is in Kyiv, while his grandparents are dodging drone attacks in his hometown of Kherson. Still, he forced himself to prepare for his first Olympics.
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Marsak moved to Finland to train in safety shortly after the war began, but the conflict has a long reach.
“It is really affecting the way we live, the way we think, the way we practice as well,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday in Milan.
Marsak, who ultimately sought help through therapy and medication, is channeling his feelings into his program for men's singles figure skating as the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches.
When he competes Tuesday in the short program as Ukraine's lone figure skater in Milan, the 21-year-old will skate to “Fall On Me" by crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo.
Marsak and his father, Andriy, see themselves in the song that unites the Bocelli family. Marsak last saw his father during the Ukrainian nationals in April, when Andriy was able to get military leave to attend the competition and witnessed his son win his third title before returning to the front lines.
“Even though we cannot see each other, we are still together, we still feel this connection between us," the figure skater said.
After Tuesday, the top 24 of 29 skaters will move to Friday's free skate event. Marsak is competing against favorites like Ilia Malinin, the American “Quad God” whose stunning free skate Sunday secured the gold medal for the U.S. team, and Japanese sensation Shun Sato.
If Marsak makes it through, he'll wear a costume designed by his mother, who traveled from Kyiv to Milan this week to watch him compete.
His free skate program is set to a combination of “I’m Tired” and “The Feels.” He said the songs, both by Labrinth and Zendaya, represent his skating journey amid a war that's destroyed much of his country — including the ice rink in Kherson where he learned to skate.
“Thanks to skating, I'm still living,” he said. “It's the place where I feel alive and where I can show all of my emotions.”
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The Russia-Ukraine War has taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian sport. Athletes were displaced or called up to fight. Soccer matches are often interrupted by air raid sirens and attendance is capped by bomb shelter capacity. Elite skaters, skiers and biathletes usually train abroad, with attacks and frequent blackouts shuttering local facilities.
In northern Ukraine, young cross-country skiers have been training in a bombed-out complex where sirens regularly pierce the air.
Nevertheless, Ukraine has managed to send 46 athletes to Milan Cortina, ranging from Marsak to six cross-country skiers and 10 biathletes.
Matvii Bidnyi, Ukraine’s minister of youth and sports, said the athletes aim to send an important message to Russia and the rest of the world.
“We have the opportunity to raise our flag to show that Ukraine is resilient, Ukraine is still in power,” he said. “We have a will to win and we continue to be one of the most successful sport teams in the world because success in sports always was a part of the Ukrainian national brand.”
Ukrainian-born ice dancer Vadym Kolesnik, meanwhile, competed for the U.S. Monday after obtaining American citizenship last summer. Kolesnik’s family has endured the ongoing war in Ukraine, with his brother enlisting in the army and his father’s business destroyed. But the 24-year-old finally reunited with two family members from Ukraine on Saturday after four years apart, thanks to a successful GoFundMe campaign that paid for their flights to Milan.
Kolesnik and his ice dance partner, Emilea Zingas, came in sixth place Monday during the rhythm dance. They will compete Wednesday in the free dance.
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Dave Skretta in Milan contributed to this report.
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AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics