Balancing Competition with Crisis: My Struggle Amidst National Turmoil
When Ukrainian climber Jenya Kazbekova was awakened at 5am by the sounds of bombs falling outside her home in Kyiv, she barely had time to process that her life was about to change.
“It was one of the most horrifying experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” she recalled.
“I woke up, looked at my mom because we shared a bedroom and was like, what was that? What are those sounds? And then it happened again.
“We pulled out our phones and started checking social media, and there was news everywhere that it had started – explosions all over Ukraine. I just remember trying to pack up my things, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.”
Fast forward two years, and the 27-year-old sport climber is gearing up to compete in the bouldering and lead events at the Paris Olympics – a prospect she couldn’t have imagined when she and her family joined millions fleeing Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“Everyone was leaving. Everyone was trying to escape. It was just a terrible time where you didn’t have enough food, you didn’t have much of anything, and you couldn’t afford to stop,” she recounted to BBC Radio 5 Live.
Together with her sister and parents, Kazbekova endured a four-day journey to reach Germany, where they faced another two days waiting to cross the Polish border.
“You just keep moving – sometimes you’re in a five-kilometer line at the border, inching forward five meters every few minutes. You can’t sleep. You can’t take care of yourself properly,” she described.
“We arrived in Germany utterly exhausted, and even though it was an incredibly tough experience, we were still privileged to have had the chance to escape because so many people had to stay behind.”
‘Climbing: A Constant Amid Chaos’ Throughout the upheaval and trauma, climbing remained Kazbekova’s steadfast coping mechanism. She has since relocated to Salt Lake City, USA, while her family settled in Manchester.
Yet, with her grandparents still in Dnipro, Ukraine, having chosen to remain despite the danger, Kazbekova grappled with feeling adrift, continuing with her life while aware of the turmoil back home.
Her coach, Malik, who fled war in Lebanon at 18, helped her navigate these emotions and reaffirm the importance of pursuing her dreams.
“He understood exactly what I was going through without me having to explain, and he was the one who pulled me out of the darkness when I felt lost for months,” Kazbekova shared.
“I questioned why I should compete when people in my country are dying. He helped me understand how crucial it is for me to show up, even if I can inspire just one person to care a little more, to donate a little more – that’s all I could hope for.”
‘Climbing: A Family Tradition’ For Kazbekova, climbing isn’t merely a sport; it’s a generational legacy. Both her grandparents and parents competed at international levels, introducing her to world cups and championships from a young age.
“Climbing is really like a part of my family,” she reflected. “It was the one thing that kept me sane during those initial months of the war. It was the only time I could put my phone down, focus on myself, and stop obsessing over the news and worrying.”
Now, Kazbekova’s focus is squarely on the upcoming Olympics in Paris, where sport climbing will feature for only the second time. Despite missing out on Tokyo due to injury and subsequent COVID-19 challenges, she secured her spot for Paris through the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai and Budapest, finishing sixth overall.
“Being in Paris, wearing my Ukrainian uniform, and showing the world how resilient Ukrainians can be – that’s a dream come true. It’s my biggest motivation right now,” she affirmed.
“How much it means for Ukraine to have representation out there, to keep reminding people that we still need help, we still need support – this fight, it matters.”
