The Morning That Changed Everything
When Ukrainian climber Jenya Kazbekova was woken at five a.m. by the sounds of bombs falling outside her home in Kyiv. She barely had time to realise that her life had approximately changed.
“It was one of the most horrifying experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” she said. “I woke up, looked at my mum 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 looking on social media, and there was news all over that it started – explosions all over Ukraine. I remember trying to pack my stuff, and my hands would not shake.”
Escaping the War Zone
Two years later, the 27-12 months-antique recreation climber prepares to compete in the boulder and lead event at the Paris Olympics. That is something she couldn’t consider when she and her circle of relatives joined tens of millions who fled Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of the United States of America in February 2022.
“Everyone was leaving. Everyone was trying to escape. It was just a horrible time where you don’t have food, you don’t have anything, and you’re not allowed to stop”. With her sister and parents, Kazbekova drove four days to reach Germany before waiting two days to cross the Polish border.
Climbing: A Lifeline Amidst Chaos
Climbing remained the one constant for Kazbekova, her primary “coping mechanism” during a time of upheaval and trauma. She moved to Salt Lake City in the United States while her family settled in Manchester. But with her grandparents still back in her hometown of Dnipro after they made the difficult decision to stay in Ukraine, Kazbekova said she felt “lost” getting on with her life while knowing what was happening in her home country.
The Role of a Supportive Coach
Her coach, Malik—who fled war in his home country of Lebanon at 18—helped her understand why it was still important to pursue her dreams. “He knew what I was going through without telling him anything. He was the person who walked me out of my darkness when I was feeling lost for months,” Kazbekova said.
“I didn’t see purpose in climbing. Why am I doing competitions when people back in my country are dying? He was the person who made me realise how important it is that I do show up, and if, just maybe, I manage to make a single person care a little bit more and donate a little bit more, that’s all I can ask for.”
Climbing is ‘Part of My Family’
For Kazbekova, climbing is not just a sport. It’s a “generational thing”. Her grandparents and parents competed internationally in the sport, and Kazbekova recalls her parents taking her to world cups and championships.
“Climbing is like a part of my family,” she said. “It’s the thing that kept me sane during the first months of the war. That was the only time I could put my phone down, concentrate on myself, stop updating the news, stop worrying, and do what I love.”
Eyes on the Paris Olympics
Now, Kazbekova’s sights are firmly set on this summer’s Olympics in Paris. Where sport climbing is appearing for just the second time. Kazbekova will make her Olympic debut, as she missed out on Tokyo three years ago after suffering from an injury before testing positive for COVID-19. It prevented her from competing at a qualifying event, which provided the last opportunity to reach the Olympics.
“Being in Paris, putting my Ukrainian uniform on and showing the world how resilient Ukrainians can be – that’s a dream come true. That’s the biggest motivation I have for now,” she said.
Kazbekova booked her place in Paris through the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai and Budapest last month, where she finished sixth overall. “How much it means right now for Ukraine to have representation out there in the world to keep reminding people that we still need help, we still need support,” she said. “We are still struggling so much, and this fight matters.”
