He had no fear of the water, which he learned to tame in childhood, and no fear of the Russian military who invaded Ukraine. Defending his homeland from the invaders, canoe slalom racer Yurii Yanovych died.
He was born on July 7, 1986, in Vinnytsia. The Southern Buh river, which flows through the city, is a training and competition venue in canoe slalom. This extreme sport captured Yurii’s heart. He became a master of sports, a champion of Ukraine, won many medals at various tournaments, and even after his professional sports career ended, he never forgot about canoe slalom. After receiving a degree in physical education, he began training children, teaching them everything he knew. At the same time, he worked at the «Roshen» confectionery corporation, where his grandfather, mother and father were also employees.
His passion for canoe slalom later grew into water tourism. Together with friends, they competed at national competitions, sailing in fours and twos. Many times they rafted side by side on rivers in the mountains together with Oleh Siryi, who, like Yurii, came to water tourism from slalom. They even later became relatives – Oleh baptized Yurii’s daughter. Unfortunately, on May 8, 2023, Oleh Siryi died near Bakhmut.
On the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, Yurii immediately went to the military enlistment office and voluntarily joined the local Territorial Defence Forces. He was not afraid to defend his homeland in the front line, despite the fact that he had no real military experience. Later, he joined a reconnaissance and assault brigade and served in the hottest spots of the conflict. On September 25, 2023, 37-year-old Yurii Yanovych was killed while performing a combat mission behind enemy lines. The family is still waiting for the return of the Hero’s body: his parents, beloved girlfriend and two little daughters…