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The Ukrainian high jump athlete Yulia Levchenko has been in a relationship for more than ten years with runner Yuriy Kishchenko. The athlete shared how their love story began.
The couple now leads a busy athletic life, which often requires them to be apart. Levchenko admitted that it is the separations that help them keep romance in their relationship, according to 24 Channel.
Proposal after a quarrel and a wedding a few years later
Yulia Levchenko and Yuriy Kishchenko met thanks to sport — at training camps. At that time the future champion was still a teenager, so she never thought the boy would become her husband.
Later, a relationship developed between the athletes, which has been ongoing for more than ten years. Kishchenko proposed to Levchenko back in 2019, but they had to delay the wedding.
At first, the couple's plans were disrupted by the coronavirus and lockdowns, and later by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. In 2024, Yulia and Yuriy decided they would no longer postpone their marriage.
16 July the couple officially became husband and wife in Kyiv. Levchenko wore a white dress and comfortable sneakers instead of traditional heels for the ceremony. Among the guests was her friend, high jumper Iryna Gerashenko.
Before the wedding, Yuriy made a romantic proposal to his future wife during a hot air balloon ride. According to Levchenko, they had even quarreled the night before, so she did not expect the proposal at all.
Yulia Levchenko and Yuriy Kishchenko / Photo from Instagram
Why separations help their love
Levchenko admitted that she did not realize the peculiarity of her relationship with Kishchenko right away. In 16–17 years she simply dated a guy she knew through sport, but later understood that he was "the one."
In the opinion of the athlete, a significant role in their relationship is played by their shared sports past. Yuriy fully understands the peculiarities of the life of a professional athlete, her constant training, camps, and competitions abroad.
Because of their busy schedules, the couple often has to be apart. Levchenko said that in over ten years together they have effectively spent only about half of that time side by side.
Nevertheless, the athlete does not see constant separations as a problem. On the contrary, as she put it, distance allows them to miss each other and also prevents domestic life from destroying the romance.
You start to miss the person, and household matters don’t have time to become tiresome, Levchenko explained.
Yulia also noted that after long separations she does not necessarily crave any special date, but simply wants to spend time with her husband and enjoy ordinary life without suitcases and constant moving.
What is known about Yulia Levchenko's husband?
The Ukrainian track and field athlete who in his youth started with hurdling sprinting at 3 thousand meters. Later, due to health issues, he was forced to change specialization to distances 800 and 1500 meters.
Yuriy Kishchenko during a race / Photo from Instagram
In 2015 Kishchenko again faced health problems. For about five and a half months Yuriy could not devote time to his beloved running due to pain in the groin area.
After several years Kishchenko gradually returned to full training and competition. The future husband of Levchenko won medals at national competitions, and already in 2019 Yuriy participated in an international cross tournament. The Ukrainian track and field athlete stood on the podium at the distance of 800 meters at the Riga Cup.
Yuriy Kishchenko continued his career until Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine. Her fiancé, like Yulia's father, picked up arms and took up the defense of his homeland.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Від підліткового кохання до весілля в кросівках: що відомо про особисте життя Юлії Левченко". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
