According to ESPN, two-time Olympic gold medalist boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko has joined the Ukraine defense battalion in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Lomachenko, 34, wore military garb in a photo posted to his athlete page on Facebook on Sunday.
As per ESPN, Lomachenko was in Greece when the invasion began. His journey back to Ukraine on Friday was delayed owing to the grounding of all air traffic.
ESPN said the world champion in three weight classes (featherweight, junior featherweight, and lightweight) landed in Bucharest on Saturday. He then proceeded across Romania to his home outside of Odessa.
Vitali Klitschko, the current mayor of Kyiv, and his brother Wladimir are both heavyweight champions and Hall of Famers. They are also fighting for Ukraine against Russia.
“We are so proud of our boxers, our real champions in boxing and champions in this war,” Mykola Kovalchuk, president of WBC Ukraine, told ESPN. “We are proud to be Ukrainians.”
Vasiliy Lomachenko is at 16-2 with 11 knockouts in his career. His next fight is against Australian lightweight champion George Kambosos on June 5 in Melbourne, Australia.
Elina Svitolina, a tennis star, has sent a letter to her motherland, Ukraine, and promises to donate prize money.