Swimmer Katya Shidrenko, who is considered one of the greatest talents in Ukraine, has arrived in Israel in recent days, after fleeing her hometown of Kharkiv, which was heavily shelled by the Russians.
Shidrenko began swimming in the Hapoel Bat Yam association that absorbed it.
The 12-year-old Jewish Shidrenko, who finished the last national championship in fourth place in several styles, made her way with mother Tatiana and her older brother Ivan straight to the Polish border, in a journey that lasted several days, when they managed to board a private plane recruited by a businessman and landed in Israel.
When the family landed, they received an immigrant certificate and an absorption grant and made their way to her grandfather's home in Bat Yam, who lives near the Hapoel Bat Yam club with coach Meir Levya.
Shidrenko has already started training and even this morning (Sunday) she was absorbed in the Ramot division in the field of sports.
Katya Shidrenko with Eli Yariv.
A story from the movies, Photo: Private
Whoever is trying to help the refugees from Ukraine, is acting mayor Eli Yariv who said: "She came here and is still in the market. This is a family that has been traumatized. They came from the city of Kharkov that was almost wiped off the face of the earth and we are trying to help them."
"They received NIS 6,000 for 3 people and it is difficult for them to make ends meet when they live in the grandfather's house (two rooms), we took care of the children with computers, but they have no clothes. They came with a backpack and only started studying today. Very delicate and frightened. "
The association tells of a very talented swimmer, with relatively impressive physical data for girls her age, when she was well absorbed in the association and very happy to be in the water.
They also said that the landing was much softer, since quite a few of the club's Russian-speaking swimmers and even the parents of Israeli champion Daria Golovti, came from Ukraine.
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