At just 22 she is already amassing a collection of outstanding results which began with the cadet European title in 2021; she was 16. In 2022 though, her career took a serious turn towards the high level when just a couple of months apart she won the European Youth Olympic Festival and then a senior world bronze, in Tashkent.
At 20 years old she qualified for her first Olympic Games, arriving in Paris prepared and determined. She placed 7th and shone a light on a future that continues to look very bright indeed.
Fast forward to today, Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko can be found in the warm-up room of the Qasri Tennis complex, preparing to compete at the Dushanbe Grand Slam. She is looking for her tenth World Judo Tour medal and if form and history are anything to go by, she will get it! In Dushanbe Lytvynenko is the number one seed.
With such a blossoming judo career, we could ask how she started; the paths of elite judoka are always of interest and often reveal unexpected answers. “I was a diver first, from the age of 8. I am from a small city in Ukraine, Pokrov, and didn’t have many options. After some time in diving, my father suggested judo to me and so I tried.”
I learned real discipline from judo, it really wasn’t the same level of discipline in diving. Here we have to be serious about everything.” From technical training to nutrition, hydration, fitness and psychology, an elite judoka’s work is complicated and challenging but this is all part of the sporting environment in which Lytvynenko is excelling.
“The most Important factor for performance, for me, is a good mood, a kind of happiness. With a great atmosphere and team spirit, I always want to train and compete. I like this atmosphere now in my team and I am enjoying the competitions and the general judo environment I’m in. I’m always happy with my team and this is a big part of my motivation to train and compete well.”
With her UAE teammates and the atmosphere in Dushanbe, this is destined to be another great experience for Lytvynenko; another positive step towards her goals. This is a judoka who is fast becoming a star of the elite circuit!