Former Olympic weightlifter from Ukraine killed in war with Russia

A weightlifting champion and former Olympian from Ukraine has died in his country’s ongoing war with Russia.

The Ukrainian Olympic Committee confirmed on Monday that Oleksandr Pielieshenko died while serving on the front lines of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He was 30 years old and is considered the first Olympian killed in war.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that today the heart of the honored master of sports of Ukraine, two-time European weightlifting champion Oleksandr Pielieshenko, stopped beating,” the Ukrainian Weightlifting Federation said in a social media post translated by The Associated Press .

Pielieshenko represented Ukraine at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finishing fourth in the men’s 85 kg class. However, he has not competed professionally since 2018 after being arrested for doping for a second time.

A group of 192 athletes from Ukraine sent a letter to French leaders and organizers of the 2024 Olympics earlier this year calling for Russian athletes to be banned from taking part in the event this summer. Due to a state-sponsored doping scandal, Russia has not been officially represented at the Olympics since 2016, but Russians are allowed to compete as neutral athletes.