We all knew and admired him. In my opinon the history of armwrestling can be divided into three eras: before Andrey, the Era of Pushkar, and the times without him. While there were and still are great Masters that we should remember about, now the title of a Legend remains empty. Nobody will ever replace this athlete. It's void.

That tragic day when he passed in the accident - I will never forget it. We were all waiting for him in a hotel in Rumia. It was very cheerful because people started arriving. Suddenly, we received a call. Everything went silent, we were still hoping that it was a mistake, some desperate calls, confirmations and tears. He was on his way to the Zloty Tur Professionals World Cup. He was on his way to fight the Duel of the Night. A duel that had made history before it even happened. He never made it...

It was the 14th of November, 2018.

I saw a picture of the monument and I've decided to introduce you to its creator. It's Volodymyr Zhuravel, a Ukrianian sculptor. He was born in Ukraine in an artistic and academic family.

He studied at prestigious univesities. His works are well-appreciated and so he's the laureate of various awards.

How did it go with the monument of Andrey?

Volodymyr Zhuravel:

"I didn't know Andrey Pushkar personally but in 2017 I met Vasyl Virastyuk (the strongest man in the world), he agreed to pose for me for a monument of a hero of Kiev Ruthenia, Ilya Muromets. In 2018 the Mayor of Kiev, Vitalii Klitschko (the national champion in boxing), Vasyl Virastyuk and I recreated the monument of Ilya Muromets in Kiev. In late 2020 Vasyl asked me to help with the monument of his friend, Andrey Pushkar, who passed away tragically in a car accident, so I agreed. Vasyl introduced me to the wife of Andrey, Mrs Svietlana Pushkar, and together we started to come up with ideas for the monument. In 2022, at his hometown cemetery, the monument was unveiled.

Materials: granite, faux stone.

Take a look at the profile of the artist. They're simply great sculptures. I don't usually like contemporary art but these pieces are worth seeing.

https://www.facebook.com/volodymyr.zhuravel