When the lights cut out during high bar routines at his Kyiv training facility, Olympic gold medalist Oleg Verniaiev says Ukrainian gymnasts have learned to rely on muscle memory and instinct. For the 30-year-old gymnast, who won gold on parallel bars and silver in the all-around at the 2016 Rio Olympics, these dangerous training conditions are just one part of life in wartime Ukraine.
Euromaidan Press’ Corrie Nieto sat down with Verniaiev to discuss his journey from a playful child in pre-war Donetsk to Olympic champion, and now, to an athlete-volunteer balancing training in blackout conditions with coordinating aid deliveries.
The 30-year-old gymnast’s story mirrors Ukraine’s own path of resilience: from peaceful development through two Russian invasions, maintaining focus and determination despite unprecedented challenges.
“Without light, your coordination is lost. You don’t understand when you need to move a little bit earlier or later,” Verniaiev explains, describing a teammate who found himself flying through pitch blackness during a release move. “It’s really very dangerous.”
The distinguished gymnast, who stands at 160 cm, has faced numerous challenges throughout his career. After winning gold at the 2014 World Championships and the 2015 European Championships all-around title, he achieved Olympic glory in Rio, missing the all-around gold by just 0.099 points. More recently, he helped Ukraine qualify for the 2024 Olympics and secured team gold at the 2024 European Championships.
The path that led Verniaiev to Olympic heights began simply enough – with a hyperactive child and a mother’s gymnastics background. “My mom did some gymnastics, not too much, just a couple of years,” he recalls. “When I was in kindergarten, I had too much energy. Somebody suggested to my parents that they needed to do something with this.”
That suggestion led to a Donetsk gymnasium that captured young Verniaiev’s imagination. “I was so interested because we had trampolines, we had too much of everything to have fun,” he says. Unlike today’s rigorous early specialization, his introduction to the sport was playful. “We didn’t do professional gymnastics at five or six years. We had fun, we played, and step by step, I understood I wanted to train seriously.”
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, Verniaiev immediately transformed his Kyiv apartment into a shelter for fellow athletes who lacked transportation to evacuate. While many Ukrainian athletes relocated to train in safer European facilities, Verniaiev made a different choice.
“I saw my friend from Kharkiv organizing an aid center, and I asked him how I could help,” Verniaiev recalls. “He explained how everything works, and we started looking for supplies in Kyiv.”
Working with a network of volunteers, Verniaiev now coordinates regular aid deliveries to Kharkiv, one of Ukraine’s hardest-hit cities. Twice weekly, his father and friends make the dangerous journey east, navigating checkpoints and the constant threat of Russian strikes to deliver essential supplies.
“If I go to Europe, I can’t help, I can’t do anything,” says Verniaiev. “When you’re here, you understand that in any moment you can do something, you can help. When I’m at competitions abroad and see news about air raids, I think about Ukraine, about friends, about family, about the guys and girls who defend our country.”
Now, that first gym where his gymnastics journey began sits in occupied territory. Originally from Donetsk, he relocated to Kyiv in 2009, five years before Russia first invaded eastern Ukraine. He hasn’t returned to his hometown since it fell under Russian occupation in 2014.
“The hardest thing is that I can’t go back to Donetsk when I want to,” Verniaiev says. “Of course, I miss my home, my first gym where my gymnastics started, the Donbas Arena. But in our hearts, in our minds, we still wait for Ukrainian Donetsk.”
Daily life in Kyiv has adapted to wartime realities. Training sessions are frequently interrupted by air raid sirens, forcing athletes into shelters. Power cuts due to Russian strikes on infrastructure have become routine, requiring careful planning around when equipment can be safely used.
“Sometimes we just run and do easy exercises, it’s okay,” Verniaiev explains. “But when you work your full routine on apparatus, it’s not possible without light. It’s not like some people think – we don’t have a curfew in some places, so everything must be fine. Some people still don’t understand what’s happening in our country.”
Now preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Verniaiev faces unique challenges. Beyond the power cuts and air raids, Ukraine’s gymnasts must qualify as a team while dealing with injuries, equipment issues, and the ongoing impacts of war.
“We don’t think about four years ahead – it’s too much,” he says. “Sometimes when you go to sleep, you hear ‘boom, boom.’ We have our plan, our life in Ukraine, and we need to put everything together in one picture.”
Oleg Verniaiev now runs a gymnastics school for kids
The path to Los Angeles requires a careful strategy. “From 2026, we need to compete in Europe, qualify for World Championships, and then qualify again the next year,” Verniaiev explains. “Our big mission is to qualify with the team, not individually. We have young guys, so we have a big chance for this.”
Despite the hardships, Verniaiev’s eyes light up when discussing the Los Angeles Games. “I think it will be one of the craziest, one of the best competitions in history,” he says. “I know how Americans can put on a show. That’s why I want to compete there.”
To international audiences who may be growing weary of war news, Verniaiev offers a stark perspective: “We have everyday problems, everyday war. All people are tired, but we want to see our Ukraine, our home, with full territory. Thank God we have a strong nation, strong people who fight.”
He invites skeptics to experience Ukraine’s reality firsthand: “If you want to really feel what’s happening in Ukraine, come to Kyiv. Stay one or two weeks and you’ll understand. It’s not fun, it’s not a joke, it’s not for TikTok or news. It’s hard to stay here, but we all think about peace.”
Despite these hardships, Verniaiev remains focused on representing Ukraine on the international stage. “We have our mission,” he says of the upcoming Olympics. “We don’t have another choice but to try.”
