Ten-year-old Ukrainian gymnast Oleksandra Pascal, who lost a leg as a result of Russian shelling, performed on Times Square in the center of New York to remind the world about the children of Ukraine living in wartime conditions.
Before the performance, Sasha and her mother Maria visited the United Nations headquarters, where they spoke about recovery after the injury and the need for peace for children, Ukrinform reports, citing the UN press service.
Sasha had been involved in rhythmic gymnastics since early childhood. The girl lost her leg as a result of a Russian missile strike in 2022. The child was under the rubble, a concrete slab crushed her leg bones, and after 15 days in a medically induced coma, doctors had to amputate the limb.
After several months of rehabilitation, Sasha returned to sports. She performs dance and acrobatic routines with a modern leg prosthesis and has been competing with children without disabilities for the past four years. The young gymnast has won medals in several tournaments.
The girl’s mother, Maria, emphasized that each of Sasha’s performances helps draw the world’s attention to the plight of Ukrainian children.
“The main message is that people should not forget that the war in our country is still ongoing,” she said.
Maria stressed that Ukrainian children need peace the most.
She believes that sports played a key role in her daughter’s recovery.
“I think without sports, everything would have been much worse. She would have withdrawn into herself and been ashamed of her prosthetic leg. But when she competes, she is not ashamed; she becomes much more confident,” said the gymnast’s mother.
Sasha trains for three to four hours a day, five days a week. She dreams of one day representing Ukraine at the Paralympic Games if rhythmic gymnastics is included in their program.
As Ukrinform reported, young gymnast Oleksandra Pascal from Chornomorsk, who lost a leg due to Russian shelling, won a gold medal at the Carla’s Rhythmic Cup tournament held in the Romanian city of Brasov from June 5 to 7.
Photos provided by the Pascal family
Children Gymnastics New York USA