Taisiia Onofriichuk's diary

When Taisiia Onofriichuk needs some respite from Russia's four-year war of aggression against Ukraine, she either travels to a training camp in Japan or takes a short vacation in Germany. “I visit my cousin and my grandmother there from time to time,” says the 17-year-old, full of gratitude for the occasional break. If at all possible, her relatives will also be there in person when “Taya,” as she is known, competes for World Championship medals in Frankfurt’s Festhalle. Despite the dangerous living conditions in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the protégé of former world champion Irina Derjugina never loses sight of her sporting ambitions. “We are often under fire in Kyiv and it is very difficult,” she admits. “But it is a great honour to represent a country that is currently at war." 

A ninth place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was the start of Onofriichuk’s road to success - a road she is making rapid progress on. At last year's World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, she collected bronze medals in Ribbon and with Ukraine in the Team competition, as well as finishing fourth in the Individual All-Around. At the end of the year she even briefly led the world rankings. She credits hard physical training and increased mental strength for her growing success. “Two years ago in Paris, I thought too much before and during the competition. And I've learned that you have to work on mistakes immediately,” Onofriichuk explains. She has a unique way of analysing her performances and where improvements need to be made - by entering them all in a small diary. 

Short breaks between competitions are now a thing of the past. Her coach Derjugina is not only an experienced mentor, but also a role model for her eager-to-learn student. The 68-year-old won two All-Around world titles in 1977 and 1979 for the former Soviet Union. Unfortunately for Derjugina, Rhythmic Gymnastics was not yet an Olympic discipline. That changed in 1984 at the Los Angeles Games - and it’s there that Onofriichuk's has already set her sights, with the city once again hosting the Olympics in 2028. At the next Summer Games she believes she celebrate the triumph that her coach was denied in the 1970s: “I am still far from the peak of my career. And that's why I can become Olympic Champion in two years' time.”