Ukrainian Athlete Nataliya Dobrynska: Career, Challenges, and Insights
Explore the remarkable career of Ukrainian athlete Nataliya Dobrynska, the 2008 Olympic heptathlon champion, as she shares her triumphs, challenges, and innovative visions for the future of sports. Gain exclusive insights on the World Athletics Inside Track Podcast.
Exclusive Athletics Insights: Nataliya Dobrynska Reflects on Career Highlights and Challenges Facing Ukrainian Athletes
In a captivating episode of the World Athletics Inside Track Podcast, renowned Ukrainian athlete Nataliya Dobrynska, the 2008 Olympic heptathlon champion, opens up about her remarkable career and sheds light on the current state of the sport in her home country.
Chatting with former rival Kelly Sotherton, Dobrynska reminisces about her world indoor pentathlon record, set during her triumphant 2012 world indoor title victory. She also discusses the obstacles faced by up-and-coming Ukrainian athletes and shares her vision for innovative changes in the sport.
“During that era, it felt as though all of us were really close, as though we were all in a line, and so it was always difficult to predict who was going to win. But I’d always try to just concentrate on myself, on my technique, on what I needed to do. Everything and everyone around me didn’t matter.”
Dobrynska vividly recounts the memories of her world indoor record-breaking performance, stating:
“In my memory, it was like yesterday. I remember everything about that competition. I broke the record in Istanbul, and I was back in that same venue last year for the European Indoor Championships and I saw my record being broken (by Nafi Thiam).”
As a World Athletics Council member, Dobrynska has been instrumental in facilitating support for Ukrainian athletes amidst the ongoing conflict. She explains:
“It’s a very difficult and awful time at the moment. You can imagine how we feel. We want our kids to experience a good education and to be involved in sport. The Kids’ Athletics programme from World Athletics has been provided to many of the small cities in Ukraine so that kids can compete and enjoy the sport.”
Looking towards the future, Dobrynska shares her vision for innovative changes in athletics, suggesting the possibility of incorporating technology similar to that used in basketball, where “the players play on a giant screen, then different things are projected on to that screen to engage the spectators.”
The Inside Track Podcast, with its evolving presenter lineup, promises to provide captivating insights and perspectives from the world of track and field, with the next episode set to feature reaction from the World Athletics Relays in The Bahamas and the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
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