Overview

• Three Ukrainian war veterans joined more than 2,800 swimmers from 81 countries for the 6.5-kilometer Asia-to-Europe race in Istanbul on Aug. 24.
• All three finished the crossing in over an hour after two amputees were initially told to enter a separate disability category but ultimately swam in the open field.
• The trio—Oleh Tserkovnyi, Pavlo Tovstyk and Oleksandr Dashko—trained for months with support from the Superhumans Center and coaching from Kyiv’s CapitalTRI.
• Participants described swimming as therapy that helped them manage PTSD, balance problems, hearing loss and recovery after amputations.
• The Turkish Olympic Committee–run event served as a platform to raise donations and awareness for urgently needed prosthetics in Ukraine.