"The luge track in Lake Placid is known for its tight turns that test the skills of each slider. Ukrainian Anton Dukach flies down the icy track at more than 70 miles an hour. UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #1: He's made his way down through Cliffside and into the Whiteface curve, entering the Devil's Highway at 18.509. RUSSELL: A fan waves a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag as Dukach crosses the finish line. (CHEERING) RUSSELL: Dukach will compete again tomorrow."
"ANTON DUKACH: I'm very proud to represent my country, to win some medals, to show my friends who are doing military service to defend us that we are competing, we are strong. We are trying to show the world that we are fighting. RUSSELL: This Olympic qualifying event in Lake Placid has taken on a new meaning for Dukach and the other Ukrainians. It's the first time since the war began that they're competing alongside Russian athletes."
Russian and Ukrainian luge athletes are competing side-by-side in Lake Placid at an Olympic qualifying event. Ukrainian slider Anton Dukach is racing at more than 70 miles an hour and aims to qualify for his third Olympics. Dukach expressed pride in representing Ukraine and in showing strength while friends serve in the military. The International Luge Federation banned Russia in 2022 but this season adopted International Olympic Committee guidelines allowing Russians to compete under a neutral flag if their sport governing body deems them neutral. The event represents a complex and symbolic meeting of athletes amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Read at www.npr.org
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