Recovering from a fatal wound and winning a place in the Paralympics: the story of the guard Vladimir Tovkis (VIDEO)
A soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine Vladimir Tovkis is a vivid example of how to survive after a head injury and further succeed in sports.
In 2019, Vladimir and his brothers were at one of the hottest points of the front - on the Svitlodar Arc. To the enemy about 100-160 meters. The guard watched the enemy, saw movement in the thermal imager, then rushed to arms. Unfortunately, the soldier no longer remembers anything. The bullet pierced Vladimir's head, he lost consciousness and fell into a coma.
“When I went there, I thought that the injury might be, but something slight, like in some movie: in the hand somewhere or in the leg “casatellically”. Then they will be smeared with green and you will run. Then I fell asleep for another two or three months with this feeling: this is a dream, I will wake up now and everything will be fine, I will keep running. And this is just some kind of nightmare that I did not believe in,” says the national guard.
And even after such a serious injury, Vladimir managed to survive, undergo rehabilitation and even take part in sports competitions. The man says that on the Internet he found a guard with a similar wound. It was Igor Galushko. He received a bullet wound to the head during the evacuation of his brother on April 10, 2017 near Maryinka in Donetsk region. Inspired by the example of Igor, Vladimir continued his recovery. The fighter admits that he saw clearly how rehabilitation and training could change him, because Galushko also participated in the “Games of the Invincible” - international sports competitions among wounded servicemen.
“I am such a hot-tempered person that if I see something somewhere, I go to the goal. Motor activity contributes to recovery, because during classes you work out and develop muscles, they become more elastic. In my case - neurotrauma - the more you repeat the movement, the better it is honed. Like a small child who learns to crawl, then walk, then run,” Vladimir told.
Thus, from just rehabilitation, he moved on to stronger loads - training for participation in the “Games of the Invincible”.
“A person can only get into the Invictus team once, and you can only get into the other team as a coach. After all, we have a lot of veterans, so that everyone can feel the spirit of competition abroad.Therefore, if you get into the team, then work, train for 100, 200 percent, and then you will rest,” Vladimir says.
Volodymyr Tovkis brought medals to Ukraine in the following disciplines: archery, rowing on simulators and discus throwing. In total, the fighter has three gold and one bronze. According to the guard, he is now trying to get into the Paralympic archery team. He says none of the Paralympians in this sport shoots with their teeth. The reason is in the distance to the target. If at the “Games of the Invincible” athletes shot 18 meters, then at the Paralympics there are distances of up to 70 meters.
Now the guard continues to train to get to the Paralympics from Ukraine. It took about 5 years from a near-fatal head injury to returning to duty and fighting for a place in the Paralympics.
About the strength of spirit and character, the sincerity of love and friendship, professionalism and dedication, tireless work that helps to overcome any obstacles - see the material.
National Guard of Ukraine
