Almost 40,000 people participated in the “Brussels 20 km” on 28 May. 33,000 runners and 5,600 walkers had signed up for the event. Among the participants, three Ukrainian war veterans joined the race to raise money for soldiers wounded in the war.
Roman Kashpur first joined the Ukrainian forces as a volunteer at the age of 19, but in 2019, while on an intelligence mission in the Donetsk region, he stepped on a landmine, needing to have his right lower leg amputated. The 27-year-old now gets by with the support of a prosthetic limb, but that has not deterred him from entering the city’s big annual charity run on Sunday.
I turned to sport after what happened to me and it has helped me very significantly, not least with the psychological damage. It has helped me find a true meaning to life.
Roman Kashpur
Completing the race in 2 hours and 35 minutes, the Brussels run is not Kashpur first achievement, becoming the first Ukrainian veteran to finish the London marathon earlier this year. “The 20 km is not a marathon but it is still a significant distance and we hope to raise as much as possible for the Foundation”, he explained at a press conference before the run.
Kashpur, Yurii Kozlovskyi and Yurii Tsyntylevych raised money for the Citizen Charity Foundation, an NGO that provides modern prosthetics as well as physical and psychological rehabilitation programs for amputee veterans.
Kozlovskyi also relies on an artificial limb for his mobility, his right leg having been seriously injured during the conflict, while Tsyntylevych suffered serious injuries while trying to defend the Luhansk airport back in 2014. Sport has helped all of them deal with the fallout of their accidents.
The message I hope our participation in the 20 km will give others is that you should never lose your spirit for life.
Yurii Kozlovskyi
“I hope this will be an inspiration to others who find themselves in a similar situation. There are not just thousands, but likely millions, who will be injured, some badly, in this war”, Kozlovskyi told the press conference. “We owe it to veterans who have selflessly protected Ukraine and Europe from Russia’s war to ensure they receive the support and assistance they need to transition back into civilian life and overcome the challenges they face as a result of their service”, added Yana Brovdiy, volunteer of Promote Ukraine and initiator of the veternas’ visit to Brussels.
Tsyntylevych, who had previously run two half marathons and an online version of the London marathon, completed the Brussels 20 km in just 1 hour, 24 minutes and 58 seconds, being the 1,076th person to cross the finish line, while Kozlovskyi managed to complete the race in 3 hours, 11 minutes and 4 seconds.
