The Ukrainian refugee who fled war and founded a Luxembourg swim club

A swimming coach who fled Ukraine at the outbreak of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022 has founded a swimming club dedicated to teaching in her new home of Mondorf.

Kateryna Lysak, who is known affectionately as Kate by her students, has found her smile again in Luxembourg, although the horror that she experienced in her home country is still difficult for her to describe in words.

A competitive swimmer at a young age, who later took up triathlons, Lysak studied sports science in Kyiv and then found a job as a professional swimming coach.

Lysak, expecting her first child, and her husband were just about to move into their new home in Bucha when the first shots and bombs were fired on 24 February 2022.

“We were still living with friends in Bucha at the start of the war and were actually just about to move into our new flat,” she told the Luxemburger Wort, her voice trembling. “Then we went to our flat and all the windows had already been shattered by the bombs.”

This was not the only reason why the mum-to-be was unable to move into her new home. “The Russians streamed through the entire apartment complex and stole everything they wanted. There were so many terrible experiences in such a short space of time. I knew then that we had to flee if we wanted to survive,” she recalled.

A few hours in Barcelona

Together with her mother Olena, Lysak crossed the land border into Moldova and reached the capital Chișinău on 13 March.

Worried about her husband, who had stayed behind for the time being, she and her mother were welcomed in by a family. “There was a couple with two children. They let us stay with them,” she said.

Kateryna Lysak had been working as a professional swimming coach in Ukraine when the country was invaded in 2022 © Photo credit: Stéphane Guillaume

She remained in constant contact with her husband, who was also researching which countries offered refugees protection and help.

“Barcelona was actually my destination. But there were no real aid programmes in Spain. I contacted a lot of people anyway, but no one wanted to take in a pregnant woman and her mother,” she said.

Nevertheless, Lysak decided to fly to Barcelona from Romania on 24 March. However, the city on the Mediterranean was only to be a stopover, as she and her husband had come up with a better plan in the meantime.

“My husband drew my attention to Luxembourg. I then found a post by Liz May in a Facebook group. It was in a group that offered help to war refugees. I immediately took a screenshot of it,” said the 28-year-old.

“I took the flight to Barcelona anyway, because the airline thankfully offered it to the refugees for free, and from there it was closer to Luxembourg. That’s why I had waited two weeks in Moldova before taking the plane from Romania. I had already bought a ticket from Barcelona to Luxembourg with my money in Chișinău,” she said, recalling that she only spent a few hours in Spain.

An unexpected video call

Completely exhausted and at the end of their tether after travelling across Europe, the mother and daughter arrived at Findel Airport on the same day, 24 March 2022.

“Our first stop was the SHUK (Structure d’hébergement d’urgence au Kirchberg). We stayed there for one night,” said Lysak, who was very concerned about her unborn child after the ordeal she had experienced.

“I was really scared that something had happened to my child. That’s why we went straight to hospital the next day,” she said, relieved that the doctors were able to give her the all-clear.

“We then spoke to a social worker. When he saw that I was pregnant, he just said that I needed a quieter retreat,” said Lysak, adding that she and her mother were then put up in a hotel.

A Facebook post by Liz May (right), the founder of the swimming club Club Européen de Natation à Luxembourg (CENL), helped get the Ukrainian refugee back involved in the sport she loves © Photo credit: Stéphane Guillaume

“I was really scared that something had happened to my child. That’s why we went straight to hospital the next day,” she said, relieved that the doctors were able to give her the all-clear.

“We then spoke to a social worker. When he saw that I was pregnant, he just said that I needed a quieter retreat,” said Lysak, adding that she and her mother were then put up in a hotel.

However, the young Ukrainian didn’t just want to wait and see what would happen next. She immediately remembered Liz May’s post in the Facebook group, which she had saved on her smartphone.

“I wrote in this group that I could help people with coaching experience in swimming in particular,” said May, the founder of the swimming club Club Européen de Natation à Luxembourg (CENL).

“Suddenly my phone rang. But it wasn’t a normal call, someone was trying to call me via video chat,” said May, immediately fascinated by Lysak’s engaging and positive personality.

From then on, May invited the pregnant Lysak to help out as a swimming coach at CENL for a few hours a week. The young Ukrainian and her mother also received help in lots of other ways from May, who Lysak said “saved my life”.

“It was so wonderful when Liz suddenly stood by our side. She helped my mum find a job. She even arranged a flat for us in Mondorf through friends, even though my mother only had two of the required three pay cheques. And me – although I am an experienced swimming coach, I didn’t speak a word of English at the beginning. Nevertheless, I was given a chance,” Lysak said.

A project close to her heart

After all the dark and painful days, there was suddenly light on the horizon again. In August 2022, Lysak gave birth to a healthy son, and by now, her husband had also arrived in the Grand Duchy.

“After the pregnancy, I was even allowed to work flexible hours. As the club grew, I also got more hours as a swimming coach,” explained Lysak, who teaches both children and adults in her role.

“Kate is a very strong woman who knows exactly what she wants,” is how May describes her coach, who is now on the verge of taking her own project in Mondorf to the next level.

Lysak has founded the Mondorf Swimming Club, which already has 25 members. “Children need to learn to swim at an early age so that they don’t run the risk of drowning. But not all parents can teach their children. That’s why swimming clubs are so important,” she said.

“We do have the outdoor pool in Remich near Mondorf, but it’s only open in summer. That’s just not enough,” said Lysak, who is currently still teaching her swimming students in the pools at the Coque in Kirchberg.

“Unfortunately, the Coque is extremely expensive. That’s why I’m delighted that an indoor pool is to be built in Mondorf by 2027,” she said. “I spoke with the people in charge in Mondorf. It seems we’ll be able to use the pool there for our lessons without any extra charges.”

With still over a year to go until the new pool in Mondorf is open, Lysak is focusing on growing the membership of the club.

“I currently offer five courses every week at the Coque, three for children and two for adults. I’m the only trainer at my club. Hopefully that won’t be the case in a few years’ time. Because I would love to offer courses at all levels. From babies to competitive swimmers,” she said, tirelessly chasing a dream in her new home in Luxembourg that she would have loved to have been able to make true in Ukraine.

(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)