It Is a Great Honor: Kyrylo Marsak on the Olympic Atmosphere, the Viral Hopak, and the Pride of Being Ukrainian

Kyrylo Marsak represents Ukraine in men’s singles at the Milan Olympics, reflecting resilience, disciplined preparation, and the responsibility of competing for a country at war.

Already on Tuesday, the men’s singles competition in figure skating will get underway at the Olympic Games in Milan. Ukraine will be represented in this discipline by a single athlete — Kyrylo Marsak, for whom these Games have become a logical culmination of a difficult but extremely important stage of his career. This was reported by Champion.

Marsak is 21 years old. He is from Kherson — a city that, after the start of the full-scale invasion, became a symbol of resilience and resistance. It was the war that forced the athlete to change not only his training base but virtually the entire course of his life.

At the invitation of Finnish figure skater Valtter Virtanen, Marsak moved to Finland, where he was given the opportunity to continue his career. His training process is currently overseen by Alina Mayer-Virtanen, Valter’s wife.

The current season has become one of the most successful of Marsak’s career. He has demonstrated a consistently high level of execution of technical elements (his jump arsenal includes a quadruple Salchow, quadruple Lutz, and triple Axel), which allowed him to secure an Olympic quota at the qualification competitions in Beijing. His performance at the European Championships ended with a historic result for Ukraine — eighth place, the country’s best showing in the past 26 years.

A festive atmosphere reigns in the Olympic Village, a clearly structured training system is in place on the ice, and the constant Eminem plays in the headphones before the start. We spoke with Kyrylo about the improvisation that made him a social media sensation, the support of coaches who effectively saved his career, and what it means to be a Ukrainian athlete at a time when both sport and country carry a much deeper meaning than just the result on the scoreboard.

— Kyrylo, your dance during the opening ceremony became a real hit on social media. What inspired you? Was it improvisation or a pre-planned routine?

— It was more of an improvisation. I just thought I should do something cool, something people watching the ceremony would remember. And somehow, improvising, it turned into a kind of hopak.

— On the eve of the ceremony, a joint photo of you with Vadym Kolesnyk (an American ice dancer of Ukrainian origin) appeared online. Do you communicate, keep in touch?

— In fact, we properly talked for the first time right there in the tent, when we were waiting for the opening ceremony and getting ready to represent our countries. I knew of him before, but he didn’t know me. We managed to get to know each other better there, and now I think we’ll be supporting each other.

— What is the overall atmosphere like in the Olympic Village right now? Have you already managed to exchange pins — that tradition never really goes away.

— Yes, we already have quite a serious pin collection. I’m staying with our short track skater Oleh Handey. The atmosphere in the Village is very pleasant: everyone is friendly, everyone is smiling and happy. It really feels like a celebration of life.

— Biathlete Oleksandra Merkushyna admitted that at these Games she will be closely following figure skating and cheering for you. Do you yourself follow other sports?

— Of course, I try to follow all the sports in which Ukraine is represented. But unfortunately, I don’t understand all of them very well.

— How is the training process going right now? Does it feel different compared to preparation, for example, for the European Championships?

— The training process is going very well. In fact, we are doing exactly the same things as before. We prepared in the same way for the European Championships and for other competitions. We have our own preparation system: what we do before the competition day and directly on the day of the start. We follow it very strictly.

— Do you have any special rituals or habits before going out on the ice that help you get into the right mindset?

— Before the short program, I always have to listen to two Eminem songs — Lose Yourself and Till I Collapse. That’s when the right mindset appears and I get enough motivation for the skate.

— You’ve said more than once that your short program is dedicated to your father, who is currently defending Ukraine on the front line. Are you able to stay in touch during the Olympics?

— Yes, of course. He called me yesterday, we talked. He supports me and will be following my performances.

— Your coach Alina Mayer-Virtanen and her husband Valtter played a very important role in your career after the start of the full-scale invasion. What are the main lessons or knowledge they have given you?

— They accepted me, you could say, as one of their own. They helped me back then and continue to help me to this day, and they’ve always treated me very kindly. As for knowledge, we now have an extremely clear system: every training session is planned in detail. That added discipline, because there is a specific plan and a clear understanding of how exactly to work.

— What do you miss the most about Ukraine, apart from your family and friends?

— I’ve basically moved all my belongings to Finland, but I really miss Ukrainian food. Things like a Kyiv cutlet or varenyky.

— Borshch at Puzata Khata?

— Yes, yes! (smiles — ed.)

— What does it mean for you to be a Ukrainian athlete right now? What challenges does it involve, and what responsibility?

— For me, first and foremost, it’s a great source of pride — to represent Ukraine at such major competitions, to tell our story and to show people abroad that the war in our country is still ongoing. It’s a huge responsibility, but also an enormous honor.

— And finally: what does your ideal day off look like when you don’t have to go out on the ice?

— Lying at home on the couch, watching TV or playing games. That’s the perfect day off for me.

Ahead of Kyrylo Marsak is the main competition of the four-year cycle. On February 10 at 7:30 p.m. Kyiv time, he will take to the ice in the men’s singles event to represent Ukraine at the Olympic Games in Milan. The Games will be broadcast on Eurosport 1 and Suspilne Sport.