The Ukrainian twins Aleksiiva competing for the Olympics in synchronized swimming, training in Sète far from the bombs

Les jumelles Aleksiiva, médaille de bronze de natation synchronisée se préparent aux JO de Paris, à Sète. Sète Agglopôle – Jean-Pierre DEGAS

Marina and Vlada Aleksiiva, synchronized swimming champions, offered public training on Tuesday July 16 at the Fonquerne swimming pool in Sète.

The gentle and calm smile of the Aleksiiva twins does not betray the torments of the war raging in Ukraine, nor the bruises of the Russian bombs which scar their region of origin, Kharkiv. And yet, under the Sète summer sun, the two sisters, aged 23, national pride after their bronze medal in synchronized swimming in Tokyo in 2020, live every day with a thought for their loved ones back home. Marina and Vladyslava (Vlada) Aleksiiva are now aiming for gold at the Paris Olympics, in the duo ballet category. "We will be 140 athletes in Paris. It’is not such a large delegation, but in times of war, it’is still although we can be represented, as we were during the previous conflicts that our country has experienced. It's really a big issue for our country, they confide, during our interview on one of their rare “off” days.< /p>

Nîmes, Sète and Montpellier

No bomb threats, no power cuts, hot showers every day. The young girls are delighted with their welcome in France, after Nîmes, Sète (Fonquerne swimming pool) and tomorrow Montpellier from July 23. "It’is nice here, peaceful, people are attentive, listening to us, notes Vlada. You can train in lots of different pools. And especially full time, twice a day on average.

The public training organized Tuesday evening at the Fonquerne swimming pool, delighted their hearts: "It’was a little piece of ;rsquo;Ukraine. We felt like we were during the sessions at home, without our outfits or makeup. But we signed autographs. We really appreciated the presence of Ukrainians (refugees in France, Editor’s note)came to support us. There were even people who came from the same region as us, it’s really beautiful. Our coach was more impressed than us by the presence of the crowd in the stands". The young athletes say they feel supported by other nations who offered logistical help in the aftermath of the war, "even the Japanese". Support, particularly from the French, which warms their hearts. Even outside the pools. "In this restaurant in France, people were shouting at us: "good luck for the gold medal  !"".

They narrowly escaped death

The champions have been based in kyiv since their swimming pool, built next to a tank factory, was destroyed in Kharkiv. Their parents, however, return regularly to visit their grandparents who remain living there. The twins narrowly escaped death one day when they did not hear the alert even though their heads were underwater. "kyiv is calmer than Kharkiv, they describe. But we must consult information to know if it is safe or not. It's our coach who tells us if we can go to the pool or not.

And the performance in all that? "In kyiv, it’s calmer but it still stressful. We are disturbed by the alerts, it’s morally hard. But we find normalcy when we train because our coach protects us. She tells us not to read the news about the war. But it’s so huge that it doesn’t really work! Our team could do so much better if there was no war." The international competition will obviously be, for Ukrainian athletes, the ;rsquo;opportunity to denounce this "amoral war" as Marina describes it. The swimmers hope, with a gold medal, "to provide a source of inspiration for the Ukrainians."

On the big day, August 9 and 10, Marina and Valda will only have their mother to support them at the edge of the pool. "Men are not allowed to leave the country, it’s illegal". This was already the case in 2020 in Tokyo, this time because of Covid.

The Ukrainian champions were followed in their preparation for the Olympics for a year by Louis Villers. His documentary "The Sirens of Ukraine" will be broadcast Thursday July 18 on Canal Plus Docs. I subscribe to read more