Ukrainian Yana Stepanenko took part in the annual Boston Marathon

12-year-old Yana joined the marathon to raise money for a sports prosthesis for a military serviceman – Oleksandr Ryasny.

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The girl, who lost both legs during a rocket attack in Kramatorsk, took part in the world-famous marathon in the city of Boston. The Ukrainian covered a distance of 5 kilometers on prosthetics.

“This girl of steel, Yana Stepanenko, who lost both legs during a Russian missile attack and ran all 5 kilometers of the Boston race with a smile and love, is a reflection of our strong Ukraine and our indomitable nation.” – wrote marathon participant Iryna Kushakevich.

Yana joined the competition with a charitable goal – to to collect funds for a sports prosthesis for a seriously wounded soldier Oleksandr Ryasnywho lost a limb. The girl wants him, like her, to be able to run again.

“Aleksandr Ryasny has been serving since 2011. He was in both the ATO and the Special Forces. When the full-scale war began, he joined the defense of his native Zaporizhzhia. He was wounded in the Zaporizhzhia region last year in September. He lost his leg.

Currently, he received a prosthesis at the Unbroken Center. Anything plans to return to the front, and also wants to run. The price for this is 600,000 hryvnias, which Yana collects.” – said in the National Rehabilitation Center “Nezlamni”.

The girl started preparing for the Boston Marathon more than two months before the event. She trained four times a week: twice at the Nezlamna National Rehabilitation Center, and two more at the Dynamo Stadium in Lviv. writes “Ukrinform”.

“I went through very difficult moments and now I am glad that I can walk and run. The famous American prosthetist Peter Garsh gave me running prostheses, and from that moment I fell in love with running again. In a week I will have my first marathon, but I have great rehabilitators and coaches , who deal with me and make me work.

My family supports me: my mother, brother, niece, sister. Before the Boston Marathon for five kilometers, I’m a little worried, but I believe that everything will work out for me, and I want to be an example for other people.”– she said during an open training session on April 4.

The family of a young marathon runner was injured during a Russian missile attack attack on the Kramatorsk railway station April 8, 2022. Then according to the station at which was more than 4,000 people waiting for evacuation are Russians fired a rocket “Point-U” with cluster ammunition.

As a result of the attack, 61 people died, another 121 were injured. In the Stepanenko family, only Yana’s twin brother survived. Mom lost one leg, Yana lost both.

Later the family evacuated to the USA where they used prosthetics program.

We used to told about Oleksandr Chaika, a veteran who teaches sports to children after amputation.