Ukrainian gymnast Anna Pikalyuk has been granted Croatian citizenship

Anna Pikalyuk, a former member of the Ukrainian national rhythmic gymnastics team, has obtained Croatian citizenship and will compete for the Aura Cup Croatia club under that country’s flag. The athlete left Ukraine at the age of 18 after the start of the full-scale invasion. She initially worked as a coach at a Croatian club but later decided to resume her professional athletic career.

Pikalyuk’s debut under the Croatian flag could take place at a tournament in Zagreb from October 8 to 11. If the Croatian Gymnastics Federation does not manage to obtain a license from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in time, the athlete will compete outside of the competition. The gymnast reacted emotionally to the change in citizenship, calling Croatia her new home and expressing her desire to win medals for her new country.

This was reported by the press service of the Aura Cup Croatia club.

 The 19-year-old gymnast is being compared to Illia Kovtun, who also changed his athletic citizenship to Croatian in the summer of 2025. He explained his decision by noting that people in Croatia were more excited about his Olympic medal than they were in Ukraine.