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“Before my baby was born, I used to ask my friends what it was like to be a dad. Most of them said, ‘you’ll see it yourself.’ It’s impossible to describe what you feel when your baby is born. It’s not like winning the world championship; it’s on an absolutely different level,” Bondarenko said.
Bondarenko’s mother and wife say that at home he’s absolutely different compared to what he is like at competitions.
The athlete’s wife Iryna Pimenova said, “He’s calmer at home. People who haven’t seen him at competitions thought that he’s always like that, and I told them that at competitions he’s crazy, and you can see it in his eyes. There are emotions and energy burning inside him.”
“Of course, he’s different at competitions. I see this concentration and perseverance, and I’m proud of him,” said Bohdan Bondarenko’s mother, Tetiana Bondarenko.
Bohdan’s personal high hump record is 2 meters and 42 centimeters, which he set in June 2014, in New York. A year before that, he won in Moscow. He has tried three times to beat the world record set by Javier Sotomayor at 2 meters and 45 centimeters but has not managed it yet. However, the athlete’s father and personal coach believes that his best achievements are yet to come.
“As soon as he reached the results of 2.40 and 2.42, he set the next goal for himself, to beat the world record. I think that no other athlete has ever made as many attempts for the world record as he has,” said Viktor Bondarenko, the athlete’s father.
In winter, Bondarenko underwent a knee surgery, so now he is keeping his exercises light and monitoring his leg. He is in no hurry to get back to competitions.
“I think that the most important thing now is to prepare for the Olympics in Tokyo. Olympic gold is my dream. There’s enough time to prepare, almost two years. So Tokyo is my main goal,” Bondarenko said. Until then, he is taking some time off to be with his family.
In autumn, the athlete is planning to go to training centers in Turkey and Italy to reach new heights in his sport.
