Irina Koval – born in 1996 in Donetsk. An athlete, a multiple medalist in racewalking, and the Ukrainian champion in the 20 km distance. She achieved the title in exceptional circumstances – in October 2022, at a competition in Ivano-Frankivsk held under bomb threat conditions, to which she decided to travel from Warsaw. Due to the ongoing warfare since 2022, she has been permanently residing in Poland. Since then, she has been engaged in a series of aid efforts for children and youth affected by the war in Ukraine – participating, among others, in the organization of sports training camps in Poland.

She works as a track and field coach at RK Athletics, Robert Korzeniowski’s club, as well as a motor skills coach at BVB Academy WBS Warsaw, the football partner school of the German club Borussia Dortmund. She envisions her future connected with a coaching career.