When Andrii Demchuk was 19, he had a leg amputated. As he confesses now, from then on he lived… a more full-fledged life. Now, 10 years later, Andrii is known as Paralympic champion in fencing and cofounder of the Lion’s Heart charitable foundation. And, for programmer students of Lviv Polytechnic University, he remains Mr. Demchuk, a lecturer at the Department of Information Systems and Networks. On coming back from Rio with a gold medal, the brand-new champion immediately resumed teaching. I managed to speak to him early in the morning, right before the university classes.
The story of your success is instructive for all of Ukraine. And what place does teaching occupy in your life?
“Sport, research, and teaching are integral parts of my life, so it is difficult to single something out. I always say that my regular place of works is Lviv Polytechnic. I am trying to exert myself to the limit on this job. I am pleased that the department met me halfway during my preparation for the Paralympics by drawing up a suitable schedule of classes and, if necessary, substituting me.
“Working with students motivates me. Quite recently, five years ago, I myself ‘was in their shoes’ and now I can transfer my knowledge to them. The mathematical direction is close to me. If you do what you like, it is your domain. And when a time comes when you want to do nothing, you must get it over. It is important to find an occupation that will give you not only money, but also satisfaction.”
Lecturer, fencer, Paralympic champion… How did you manage to become the one you are?
“Inborn inclinations and the type of character will always lead you to something under any circumstances of life. I dreamed to be as soccer player from an early age. But I was born with a sore foot – to put it roughly, one was bigger than the other. I could wear no suitable footwear, let alone soccer boots. In spite of the defect, I even contrived to play for my school in city soccer competitions. When I was told I wouldn’t be able to make it without being able to wear soccer boots, I began to play basketball in two-sizes-larger sneakers. Love for sport accompanied me throughout my lifetime, but, in all probability, daily loads brought closer the moment of amputation. I was 19 then. As wounds opened on the foot, doctors insisted on amputating the leg below the knee. But I am one of the few who are pleased to have lost a leg. I really began to live a more full-fledged life after amputation and having to wear an artificial leg. I am proud that I am a Paralympian, a person with a disability. I am trying to show to the others – not so much by my example as by my attitude to life – that one must never surrender.
“So I contacted the Invasport organization in order to begin to play wheelchair basketball, but there was no such a team in Lviv at the time. I was invited to choose one of the following sports: table tennis, archery, and fencing. I immediately rejected archery because of my explosive nature, for you should be more quiet and phlegmatic in this case. The table tennis group was on vacation, so I opted for fencing. The coach noted at once that I had good prospects because I am tall and long-armed. I was at first surprised to see everybody moving in wheelchairs. I thought I’d fence standing. But they told me it was done so to equalize conditions for people with different injuries. The point is that our fencing, as well as other Paralympic disciplines, is not recreation or rehabilitation but a full-fledged sport.”
Paralympics is not just a competition, but also a test. How did you pass it?
“The very thought of the Paralympics gets you prepared. I am sure 98 percent of all athletes reach the peak of their capacity before these competitions. Paralympics is a struggle of both tactics and characters. It is psychological preparedness that comes to the fore. You must first overcome yourself psychologically, and only then you will defeat your rival.
“Our national team wins individual victories thanks to a friendly and closely-knit team. In real life, we are very close friends who will always respond and give help.”
You dedicated your gold medal to ATO soldiers…
“Going to the Paralympics, I was determined to make an all-out effort to win a medal. But, frankly speaking, I did not expect gold. I was brimming over with post-final emotions and was not, of course, mulling over an answer to the question who I dedicated the victory to. I said the first thing that sprang to mind, which is usually the most right thing. ATO soldiers are doing much more for Ukraine than our Paralympic team. I hope those words added at least a drop of something to the guys who heard them and began to be still more proud of what they are doing not at their own will but due to the current circumstances. They had to leave their families and go to defend their Fatherland. My friends are still at the front. Unfortunately, two were killed in action.”
Is sport out of politics?
“No. There is no sport outside politics. These things should not be separated. Let’s think it over. Sport is funded from the state budget. Unless supported by the state, sport will eke out an existence and perhaps disappear in the course of time. As the state finances us, we owe it. You can’t possibly remain outside governmental policies. As a sportsman and a citizen of Ukraine, who is aware of what is going on in Ukraine, I cannot keep silent. I mean Russia’s outright aggression. We must say clearly who our enemy is.”
I wish our job-seeking athletes, particularly soccer players, were thinking so…
“I’ve already said before: be like Zozulia, not like Selezniov. I don’t mean that athletes have no right to go to Russia. Everybody has brains to think with. But one must also have conscience. Under the current circumstances, it would be wrong to play for Russian clubs. Athletes are also citizens. Moreover, as public persons, they can and must express their attitude. If you are not taking a pro-Ukrainian attitude in this war, you’d better keep silent. But is it worthwhile then to defend the honor of our state at international competitions, when the Emblem and the Flag of Ukraine are behind your back?”
Your example inspires many. And what motivates you?
“It is, at the same time, a motivation and the ultimate goal to live a full-fledged life, help others, and try to see to it that your wife and the whole family have some joys of life. What I am doing is for the sake of my family, country, city, and university department, after all. I want my wife to bear children and my grandmother and grandfather to live very long in this world. These are natural wishes. Walking steadfastly down my path is in fact my motivation. These banal, at first glance, things are very sincere. I never dream about posh houses with swimming pools. The main thing is that everybody should have enough to eat and be happy and healthy.”
Every success story means a certain credo. What principles of life would you advise to adhere to?
“It is always difficult to answer questions about advice. Everyone has their own vision of life. Whenever you come across an obstacle or achieve considerable success, it is important not to veer off your path. Otherwise you can fall into a pit or off a high cliff. You should just remain your own self in this kind of situations. You should also overcome laziness. To live means to constantly fight against your own laziness.
“You should try to live honestly. There is a golden rule of boomerang: as you give, so shall you receive. To live honestly and fairly, without forgetting God, is the basic principle. Trust is also important – you will establish no relationships without it. You must treat everybody openheartedly and be sincere with yourself and the others.”
People with limited abilities in Ukraine have to overcome not only themselves, but also the surrounding conditions or, to be more exact, their absence. What about this problem?
“It’s an important problem. It is good that our sport performance can draw attention to it. But I think that access or additional funding is a problem of the entire society, not only of the disabled. There are too few adaptations, although something is being done. Attempts are now being made in Lviv to install raised platforms at the new tram stops. But, frankly speaking, we will only be able to say that this country is doing the needful when we see the real number of the disabled on the streets. When you are in Europe, you can always see them. In Ukraine, you generally don’t see these people, for it is difficult or next to impossible for them to go out without help from somebody.
“Whenever I speak to officials in charge of these matters, I urge them to think not so much about the disabled as about their wives who will also need a ramp for a baby carriage. Think about your parents who would also be glad to walk down on a normal sloping path, when they go to a shop. Sometimes it takes an elderly woman five minutes to cross the road, for she has to step down from a high curb. They should set an example – get out of the car and help this woman. Let the guys stand behind for half a minute – they’ll be none the worse for this. Somebody will scold you from a car? That’s all right, wish them a good day. We are moving to and will achieve this culture. I’d like to believe that we can somewhat speed up this process and change this country for the better.”
