Oleksii Kravets, a dispatcher at Kolachevskyi Mine of Central Iron Ore and a participant in "Speak-up. Veteran" project, has been selected for Ukraine’s national team. The athlete will represent Ukraine at the international Strong Spirit’s Games 2026 competition.
At Metinvest’s Central Iron Ore, Oleksii Kravets is well known as an experienced employee of Kolachevskyi Mine. For many years, he headed the underground transport section at the Kolachevskyi Mine. More recently, he has been serving as a dispatcher. At home, he is a reliable source of support for his wife and a role model for his sports-minded son. Oleksii has long been passionate about strength sports and has amassed an impressive collection of awards in recognition of his outstanding achievements.
During the qualifying competition, Oleksii Kravets demonstrated a high level of performance in several disciplines. He won three gold medals in the bench press, kettlebell press and air bike events. The athlete also earned a silver medal in rowing.
Based on the results of the competition, Oleksii qualified for Ukraine’s national team, which will compete at the Strong Spirit’s Games 2026, an international sporting event for veterans and military service personnel.
Oleksii’s sporting achievements did not end there. On 6 September, he took part in the second qualifying stage for the European Adaptive Sports Championships for combat veterans, the Zakarpattia Challenge, held in Uzhhorod. There, the athlete once again stepped onto the podium in three different disciplines. Oleksii finished first in the bench press, second in the kettlebell press and third in indoor rowing.
Thus, across the two stages of competition, Oleksii Kravets won a total of seven medals: four gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal. The next major milestone for the athlete will be representing Ukraine on the international stage as a member of the national team.
It is worth reminding, the international multi-sport festival B.E.S.T. (Bukovel Elite Sports Trophy) for veterans and active-duty military personnel took place in early June. At the competition, Oleksii Kravets, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian War and an employee of Metinvest’s Central Iron Ore, proudly represented the "Unbroken. Kryvyi Rih" team. There, competing against veterans from Ukraine, the United States, Ireland and Estonia, he won gold in the bench press, gold in the air bike event, silver in the kettlebell press and silver in the Concept2 rowing event.
