Ukraine's Olympic athletes train in Sun Valley for Winter Games (02/10/02)

Ukraine's Olympic athletes train in Sun Valley for Winter Games

by Andrew Nynka

SUN VALLEY, Idaho - After all the snow and ice settles and the 19th Winter Olympiad concludes, Ukraine's athletes will no doubt look back on their experience with a mixture of emotions and, as many of the delegation's biathletes, figure skaters and cross-country skiers noted to The Ukrainian Weekly, they will look back on the Games and remember their unique relationship with Sun Valley, Idaho - their official Winter Olympic training site since 1999.

Training in Sun Valley gave the athletes not only world-class Olympic facilities and tremendously warm hospitality (see sidebar on page 11 about the Ukrainian team's relationship with Sun Valley), but the small tourist-driven mining town also gave the athletes the ability to prepare at altitudes comparable to Salt Lake City, where the thinner air at higher altitudes means less oxygen, which affects breathing during competitions; thus, acclimating to the thinner air becomes crucial as athletes prepare for Olympic competition.

Biathlon: Ukraine's top hope

Less than two weeks before the official opening of Olympic competition the biathlon squad, which carries Ukraine's greatest medal hopes and is led by 28-year-old two-time Olympic veteran Olena Zubrylova, experienced a flu outbreak that has sidelined five of its 11-member delegation.

Kyiv-born Tetiana Vodopianova became so ill on February 3 that team trainers, fearing not only flu but pneumonia, decided it was best to take Ms. Vodopianova to the hospital. According to head coach Roman Bondaruk, after doctors screened five-foot-six-inch Ms. Vodopianova they discovered the five-time medalist in World Championships did indeed have the flu and bronchitis, but was negative for pneumonia.

Ms. Vodopianova and her teammates have been recovering due in large part to the recent introduction of the prescription drug Tami-flu, an anti-flu medication which when taken within 48 hours of symptoms' onset helps shorten the duration and severity of influenza. The group looks to be able to compete when the biathlon events begin at Soldier Hollow on February 11, said Mr. Bondaruk.

However, were it not for the help of Laryssa Barabash-Temple, local Sun Valley doctors, team doctor Curt Shamblis and the Olympic Village, the high cost and difficulty of obtaining Tami-flu would have made requisitioning the drug quite difficult. Thanks to Ms. Barabash-Temple, Dr. Shamblis and local Sun Valley doctors, enough of the medication was sent to Sun Valley to cover 27 athletes.

"The biathletes' recovery should be quick - hopefully in time for the early competitions," said Ms. Barabash-Temple, attaché for the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee (NOC-U) and a board member of the Ukrainian World Congress and chairwoman of its Sports Commission.

Although at press time the issue of who would carry the Ukrainian flag into Rice-Eccles Stadium was still uncertain, sources close to the NOC-Ukraine seemed to indicate that the honor would be givent to 24-year-old biathlete Andrii Deryzemlia of Chernihiv. The six-foot-two-inch 1996 World Junior sprint champion finished 40th in the sprint and 18th in the relay at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games.

The team also brought its personal chef, Halyna Honchar, who came with the group from its original training base in the Carpathian Mountains. The biathletes - along with other visitors to the group's Sun Valley residence - have been enjoying her Ukrainian home cooking.

Unlike the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, where many athletes said they were not accustomed to the food served by their American hosts and missed their home-cooked Ukrainian cuisine, this year's biathletes have enjoyed varenyky and holubtsi. And, if that wasn't enough, there always seemed to be a pot of soup on the stove ready for guests.

On three occasions this reporter was given the opportunity to experience Ms. Honchar's charm and hospitality - not to mention a sampling of her Ukrainian kitchen. Her efforts seemed to nourish and relax the athletes and provide a loose atmosphere.

Athletes bearing the brunt of medal hopes for the Ukrainian delegation, such as Ms. Zubrylova and teammates Nina Lemesh of Chernihiv and Nagano silver medalist Olena Petrova, explained that here they feel a sense of comfort and security. In the town of Sun Valley, they explained, they get to enjoy a world-class biathlon course, the altitude of Soldier Hollow and what one local described as "a town famous for ignoring its famous visitors."

But no matter how the teams place in the final Winter Olympic biathlon standings, Mr. Bondaruk noted, "the average age of the Ukrainian team is much younger than that of powerhouse Norway or Finland." Therefore, he added, even after the completion of the 19th Winter Olympiad, Ukrainian biathletes will continue to grow into the top echelon of international biathlon competition.

A top figure skater out of the picture

At the age of 23 Vitalii Danylchenko is one of Ukraine's top male figure skaters. He can also be described as extremely humble, good-natured and modest. Skating since the age of 3 and seeing his family only twice a year takes a large toll on an individual, Mr. Danylchenko revealed during a six-hour car ride from Sun Valley to Salt Lake City.

The crowds that watched Mr. Danylchenko's exhibition performances in Sun Valley seemed taken by his good nature. Unfortunately, due to recurring knee problems (he's just short of a torn ACL), Mr. Danylchenko was scheduled to go for knee surgery in Atlanta, Ga., this past Wednesday and was replaced just over a week ago by Dmytro Dmytrenko, 28, who will skate in his second Winter Olympics.

In his 1998 Olympic debut Mr. Dmytrenko placed 14th. Although not expected to do much better than that in Salt Lake City, Mr. Dmytrenko seemed upbeat here in Sun Valley and said he would make the most of his opportunity.

On the women's side, Halyna Maniachenko, who took fourth place at the 2002 European Championships, also commented on the unique atmosphere at Sun Valley. "It's been a wonderful stay here. We've been treated very well and leaving here will be very difficult," she said.

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All in all, close to 200 athletes from various nations will have trained at Sun Valley before heading to their competition venues in Salt Lake City. Nordic and alpine skiers, snowboarders, ice skaters and biathletes have all found a place to practice here.

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