Olympic fencing champion Alina Komashchuk met with young athletes from KDYUSSH No. 13 as part of the NOC Ukraine #OlympicLab initiative, focusing on Olympic values. This was reported by the press service of the NOC in the Odesa region.
Meetings between leading Odesa fencers and the students of KDYUSSH No. 13 have become a good tradition. As part of #OlympicLab, similar events have already taken place featuring Elena Kravatska and Andriy Yahodka. For Alina, this was her first such meeting, and despite a busy competition schedule this year, she managed to visit Odesa for a week before the start of the Ukrainian Cup in Kyiv. The young fencers are also preparing for a crucial cadet European cycle tournament in Istanbul on October 11-12. The meeting took place in the fencing hall of KDYUSSH No. 13 (Novoselskogo St., 75, Odesa).
At the beginning of the event, Alina, who achieved her highest success this year by winning bronze and silver medals at the world and European championships, shared important moments from her career and answered numerous questions from the young athletes. Her personal coach, Alexander Vasyutin, a distinguished coach of Ukraine and mentor at KDYUSSH No. 13, also participated in the event.

Champion's Advice

We need adequate sleep for recovery, proper nutrition, rehabilitation, and warm-up in the training hall. All these components are very important. I wasn't always so professional and aware of these things, but now I understand that neglecting them cost me crucial moments that could have led to better results.
You need to behave like professional athletes and consider all these aspects in your training.
How many times have I lost in the "4" or "8"? I have won against strong opponents but couldn't secure the win at the last moment because I didn't believe in myself. You have to believe!
At the world championship, I fenced against Sara Balzer, whom I had never beaten in either individual or team events. I simply told myself: "I won't give up the medal!"
I focused solely on fencing, not allowing myself to think of losing. And it worked.
During the event, the young sabreurs received not only champion's advice but also a motivational boost by connecting with Alina's achievements – her world and European championship medals.

At the end of the event, athletes received gifts from the NOC Ukraine in the Odesa region, and Alina happily signed autographs on t-shirts, gloves, and of course, on their weapons.