Viktoriia Onopriienko is a Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast who will represent her country at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She is best known for becoming the all-around champion at the 2020 Grand Prix Final and winning the bronze medal for ribbon at the 2022 World Games.
Viktoriia’s journey to Olympic Games qualification has been a tough one. Interestingly, the new Olympic Channel documentary, Viktoriia: Ukraine’s Gymnastics Hope, delves deep into her struggles and story. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the 20-year-old gymnast realized she had to work extra hard for qualification. Amidst a terrifying war, she displayed immense strength, determination, and resilience. Even though she hardly got any sleep at night, it didn’t stop her from excelling in exercise and practice.
According to EssentiallySports, Viktoriia qualified for the upcoming Olympic Games after securing gold at the 2023 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. Furthermore, she dedicated her achievement to everyone in her war-torn nation, especially the soldiers, which included her father.
According to the Olympics’ official website, the synopsis of Viktoriia: Ukraine’s Gymnastics Hope reads, “As the bombs dropped in her hometown of Kyiv and her father left home to fight in the war, Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Viktoriia Onopriienko battled daily to make her dream – competing in Paris 2024 – come true.”
It further reads, “This documentary showcases her grit, resilience, and determination in her inspiring journey to compete at the Olympic Games. Discover the indomitable spirit of this young athlete as she prepares to represent Ukraine on the world stage.”
Viktoriia Onopriienko got only three or four hours of sleep on her road to Olympic qualification
In the documentary, Viktoriia revealed that getting rest during the nighttime in her country was difficult, due to air raid alerts. Furthermore, Russia regularly shelled them, and she got only three or four hours of sleep. However, she knew her progress could be compromised if she skipped exercise. She said, “It’s hard because of the air raid alerts, because of the things happening in our country. They are shelling us at night. You sleep three or four hours.”
She further stated, “You still have to come and exercise. You can’t exercise less because you may lose everything you’ve gained before.”
Viktoriia Onopriienko was born on 18 October 2003 to dental technician parents. At the young age of four, she started practicing rhythmic gymnastics, however; she tried figure skating for some months. According to the Olympics’s official website, little Viktoriia got interested in gymnastics after watching the elegance of the gymnasts. Eventually, her parents enrolled her in a class and from that day onwards, she dedicated her life to the sport.
The young gymnast stated that her profession has taught her various life lessons and made her mentality and character stronger. She said, “Gymnastics has given me so much in my life. My character, my strength of will. To always keep going until the end and never give up. To set goals for myself.”
Viktoriia Onopriienko is grateful to gymnastics as it has given her a new way to live life. Apart from the sport, she enjoys cooking and wants to open a restaurant in the near future.
