MILAN (AP) — Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak was exhausted last summer as he trained for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.
Drained, anxious and often unable to sleep, the 21-year-old could not stop thinking about his family back in Ukraine: His father is in the army on the front lines and his mother is in Kyiv, while his grandparents are dodging drone attacks in his hometown of Kherson. Still, he forced himself to prepare for his Olympic debut.
Click to Gallery
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine prepares to skate before the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine competes during the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine competes during the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine competes during the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak walks outside the Milan ice skating arena on his way to practice his routine, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)
Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak poses for a photo outside the Milan ice skating arena on his way to practice his routine, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)
Marsak moved to Finland to train in safety shortly after the war began, but the conflict has a long reach.
“It is really affecting the way we live, the way we think, the way we practice as well,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Marsak, who ultimately sought help through therapy and medication, is channeling his feelings into his program for singles figure skating as the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches.
When he competed Tuesday in the short program as Ukraine 's lone figure skater in Milan, the 21-year-old skated to “Fall On Me” by crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo.
Marsak and his father, Andriy, see themselves in the song that unites the Bocelli family. Marsak last saw his father during the Ukrainian nationals in April, when Andriy was able to get military leave to attend the competition and witnessed his son win his third title before returning to the front lines.
“Even though we cannot see each other, we are still together, we still feel this connection between us,” the figure skater said.
Some spectators draped their seats in Ukrainian flags, applauding and cheering as Marsak jumped in excitement after he finished his skate. He earned 86.89 points, his highest score of the season by nearly 10 points.
That put him in 11th place, safely among the top 24 of 29 skaters who move on to Friday's free skate. Marsak is competing against favorites like Ilia Malinin, the American “Quad God” whose stunning free skate Sunday secured the gold medal for the U.S. in the team event.
On Friday, Marsak will wear a costume designed by his mother, who traveled from Kyiv to Milan this week to watch him compete.
His free skate program is set to a combination of “I’m Tired” and “The Feels.” He said the songs, both by Labrinth and Zendaya, represent his skating journey amid a war that's destroyed much of his country — including the ice rink in Kherson where he learned to skate.
“Thanks to skating, I'm still living,” he said. “It's the place where I feel alive and where I can show all of my emotions.”
The Russia-Ukraine War has taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian sport. Athletes were displaced or called up to fight. Soccer matches are often interrupted by air raid sirens and attendance is capped by bomb shelter capacity. Elite skaters, skiers and biathletes usually train abroad, with attacks and frequent blackouts shuttering local facilities.
In northern Ukraine, young cross-country skiers have been training in a bombed-out complex where sirens regularly pierce the air.
Nevertheless, Ukraine has managed to send 46 athletes to Milan Cortina, ranging from Marsak to six cross-country skiers and 10 biathletes.
Matvii Bidnyi, Ukraine’s minister of youth and sports, said the athletes aim to send an important message to Russia and the rest of the world.
“We have the opportunity to raise our flag to show that Ukraine is resilient, Ukraine is still in power,” he said. “We have a will to win and we continue to be one of the most successful sport teams in the world because success in sports always was a part of the Ukrainian national brand.”
Ukrainian-born ice dancer Vadym Kolesnik, meanwhile, competed for the U.S. Monday after obtaining American citizenship last summer. Kolesnik’s family has endured the ongoing war, with his brother enlisting in the army and his father’s business destroyed. But the 24-year-old finally reunited with two family members from Ukraine on Saturday after four years apart, thanks to a GoFundMe campaign that paid for their flights to Milan.
Kolesnik and his ice dance partner, Emilea Zingas, finished sixth in Monday's rhythm dance. They will compete Wednesday in the free dance.
AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Milan contributed to this report.
AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine prepares to skate before the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine competes during the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine competes during the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kyrylo Marsak of Ukraine competes during the men's figure skating short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak walks outside the Milan ice skating arena on his way to practice his routine, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)
Ukrainian figure skater Kyrylo Marsak poses for a photo outside the Milan ice skating arena on his way to practice his routine, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vasilisa Stepanenko)
Charlotte's surge to at least the play-in tournament and possibly the playoffs in the Eastern Conference has been fueled in large part by the 3-point shot.
And by season's end, it's well within reach that the top two 3-point shooters in the NBA this season — at least in terms of makes — both might be wearing Hornets uniforms.
Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel leads the NBA with his Hornets-record 261 made 3s so far this season, and LaMelo Ball is currently third in the league with 243 makes from beyond the arc. Between them: the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, who is set to miss some time with a hamstring injury.
Knueppel already has the NBA record for 3s made by a rookie as well.
“He definitely needs to celebrate,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said.
If Knueppel and Ball finish 1-2 in the final standings for made 3s, they would become the second set of teammates in NBA history to hold down the top two spots on that list for a full season. The other, as one would likely guess, were the “Splash Brothers” — Golden State's Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who finished first and second in the season standings in four consecutive seasons from 2013-14 through 2016-17 (and nearly did it in 2012-13 as well).
Other pairings have come close. Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce were second and third in made 3s for Boston in 2001-02 (behind Ray Allen, the then-future Celtic who was playing for Milwaukee at the time). And in 1992-93, Phoenix's Dan Majerle tied Indiana's Reggie Miller for the made-3s title, with Suns teammate Danny Ainge finishing third.
Here's what we know so far regarding the NBA playoff field for this season.
— Eastern Conference playoff teams: Detroit, Boston, New York, Cleveland are in. At this point, Atlanta and Philadelphia would get the other two guaranteed spots but those are not clinched.
— East play-in teams: Nobody is locked into the play-in yet, but entering Friday, the four teams headed there are Toronto, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami.
— East eliminated teams: Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana, Brooklyn and Washington.
— Western Conference playoff teams: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver and Houston are in. Minnesota is likely to grab the sixth and final guaranteed spot.
— West play-in teams: Phoenix is probably going to the play-in tournament. Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State definitely are.
— West eliminated teams: Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas, Utah and Sacramento.
— Hornets 127, Suns 107: Charlotte clinches no worse than a .500 record.
— Pistons 113, Timberwolves 108: Detroit closing in on East No. 1 seed.
— Thunder 139, Lakers 96: Luka Doncic hurt, Lakers tie 7th-biggest loss in team history.
— Cavaliers 118, Warriors 111: Cleveland on brink of clinching top-4 seed.
— Trail Blazers 118, Pelicans 106: Portland made 20 3s, New Orleans made nine.
— Spurs 118, Clippers 99: Victor Wembanyama sits, Spurs win 11th straight anyway.
— Indiana at Charlotte: A winning record this season is going to get Hornets’ coach Charles Lee some award votes.
— Minnesota at Philadelphia: Massive implications seeding-wise for both teams.
— Atlanta at Brooklyn: Hawks closing in on Southeast Division title, possibly No. 5 seed.
— Chicago at New York: Knicks nearing the 50-win mark yet again.
— Utah at Houston: The Rockets know they can’t afford a slipup in this spot.
— Toronto at Memphis: Raptors need a few wins down the stretch to avoid play-in.
— Boston at Milwaukee: Bucks coach Doc Rivers faces his former team, a day before expected Hall of Fame formal announcement.
— Orlando at Dallas: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley enjoyed a lot of nights when he was on the Mavs’ staff. He desperately needs one of those good nights here.
— New Orleans at Sacramento: A pair of teams building for the future.
— Washington at Miami: Bam Adebayo scored 83 against the Wizards last month. The rematch!
— San Antonio at Denver: Wembanyama vs. Nikola Jokic in potential West playoff pairing.
— Detroit at Philadelphia: Sorry, Detroit. Michigan-Arizona Final Four game tips off during this one.
Friday on NBA TV: Chicago-New York.
Saturday on Prime: San Antonio-Denver.
Saturday on NBA TV: Detroit-Philadelphia.
Oklahoma City (+135) is favored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Boston (+550), San Antonio (+550), Denver (+1100), Cleveland (+1200) and New York (+1600). Detroit, on its way to the No. 1 seed in the East, is +2500.
— April 10: All 30 teams play their 81st games of the season.
— April 12: All 30 teams play their regular season finales.
— April 14, 15 and 17: NBA play-in tournament dates.
— April 18 and 19: NBA playoff series openers.
— May 2, 3 or 4: Conference semifinals begin.
— May 10: NBA draft lottery.
— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
The Thunder had 14 different players score in their win over the Lakers on Thursday night. There have been only seven games in NBA history, including playoffs, where a team saw more players score at least one point in the same game.
The Spurs are 27-2 since Feb. 1 — and have picked up only 3 1/2 games on Oklahoma City (23-5) in that span. (By the way, the best record in the East since that date belongs to Atlanta at 20-6.)
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, left, struggles to field a pass as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks for a play against Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) holds the ball away from Utah Jazz guard John Konchar during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson, left, is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Toronto Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl (front) is fouled by Orlando Magic centre Goga Bitadze (back left) as Magic forward Paolo Banchero (right) looks on during first half NBA action in Toronto on Sunday, March 29, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, drives against Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
