Ukraine’s 16-year-old Mark Hrytsenko already has a European gold after partnering Oleksii Sereda to men’s 10m synchro gold in Antalya last summer.

But this former European junior trampoline champion has ambitions rising higher and higher as he approaches his third European Championships, where he will compete in the 10m as well as defending the 10m synchro title

In the space of the last year you have successfully bridged the gap from junior to senior competition in earning European 10m synchro gold with Oleksii.  What were the most challenging elements of this transition?

The most challenging part was creating a new programme and increasing the degree of difficulty of my dives. Senior competitions require greater consistency, confidence and precision, so this transition became a great challenge for me. The challenge itself worked for me making me better, so I managed in a short time to get the standard to compete on equal in seniors

Who has most helped you in this process – how good has it been to work with Oleksii, who made a similar journey to you as a talented young teenager?

My coaches helped me the most, as well as all the people who contributed to my results. I am very grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey.

Oleksii and I are constantly working on our synchronised dives to improve them not only technically, therefore it is important for us to feel each other and work as a one unity to keep moving our team forward.

Most divers progress from junior diving. You have come from being European junior champion in trampoline! How has this helped you and why did you switch sports?

I would not say that I completely changed apparatus. I simply started to focus more on Platform. At my first European Juniors, I competed in both springboard and platform events (in the last came second). Later, I realised that I felt better and currently have more advantage on platform.

Springboard experience helped me a lot —giving it a strong foundation, coordination, awareness in the air and confidence in performing difficult elements/

How difficult has it been for you to train and travel in recent years?

The war has impacted steady preparation process, very difficult to say it is going normally. We are trying very hard and have in Kyiv all necessary in our home good pool Liko, but country is under a constant threat of missile attacks and Kyiv too.

Blackouts, sleepless nights, freezing winter because of the heating stations strikes.  Even in order to get to any European competitions, we spend several days on the road, to cross the border to reach the nearest airport outside Ukraine (the sky over Ukraine is closed) whereas it used to be a few hours only to fly from Kyiv to any city before.

What are your ambitions now for Paris 2026 – and beyond?

In 2026, I want to show a strong result and present my new programme. My goal is to keep progressing, become more competitive and continue to win medals in international top majors, so that my family, my coaches and Ukraine can be proud of me.

Will you be able to have friends/family watching you in Paris?

I would really like my family to be in Paris and support me there. It would mean a lot to me.

But I do not know yet whether they will be able to come… My people and friends surely will be cheering me up and our team watching on TV, and that’s backing is empowering

Have you have already visited Paris? Are there any particular places/sights you have enjoyed, and do you plan to see any in particular this summer?

I first visited Paris in May 2024 during the Paris Diving Open

It was an Olympic year, so there was hardly any time to explore the city. Of everything I managed to see, was the Eiffel Tower. Bbut the atmosphere Paris of its small Parisian streets with happily walking people left the remarkable impression on me. They have a unique charm that is hard to describe.

Paris is truly a beautiful city with a rich history, and I would love to learn more about it.

I really hope to visit the Louvre and am looking forward to having some free time during the European Championships to finally see it.

Diving at the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 will run from July 31 to August 6.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics