Ukrainian Athlete Honors Fallen with Olympic Helmet Tribute

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych wore a helmet adorned with portraits of fellow compatriots killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a training session at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday. The 26-year-old flagbearer for Ukraine at the opening ceremony used the occasion to honor those lost, including several former teammates, while navigating International Olympic Committee rules on demonstrations.

Heraskevych, who finished fourth at last year's world championships, displayed black-and-white images of about a half-dozen Ukrainian athletes on his helmet as he slid down the track. Among them were figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, a former Youth Olympic Games teammate killed in 2024; teenage weightlifter Alina Peregudova, who died at age 14 in Russian shelling of Mariupol in 2022; strongman and boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, killed on a combat mission in 2023; ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, who volunteered for the front lines at 23 and died that same year; biathlete Yevhen Malyshev, who perished in March 2022; and others including diver Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, and dancer...