SGP2 world champion Nazar Parnitskyi was elated to share his FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship success with his friends on the frontline back home in Ukraine.
Parnitskyi is representing his country with distinction in the speedway world. After winning SGP2 silver in 2024, he powered to a famous gold medal at the Deluxe Homeart FIM SGP2 of Denmark – Vojens last September.
It was the biggest achievement by a Ukrainian rider since Igor Marko won the 1986 FIM Speedway Under-21 European Championship in Rivne – two years before the competition gained full world-championship status.
His heroics in the FIM Speedway of Nations also secured FIM Speedway World Cup qualification for Ukraine for the first time in the country's history.
While Parnitskyi starts 2026 as Speedway GP first substitute rider and prepares to represent Leszno in Poland’s PGE Ekstraliga and Dackarna in Sweden’s Bauhaus Elitserien, he is thinking of friends back home, fighting on the frontline for their country.
Despite the battle they face, they still found the time to tune into Parnitskyi’s SGP2 title triumph. The rider said: “When I won the Junior World Championship, even my friends at the front sent me photos, saying they were watching the competition. These are real fans. They may not be as numerous as in Poland, but they are there. And that's cool.
“I believe that when the war ends, speedway will return to Ukraine, and we want this sport to be as popular as possible.”
In the meantime, Parnitskyi is determined to build on a fine 2025 campaign. He said: “I had a great season, and I hope next year will be even better, and most importantly, injury-free. We're doing everything we can to improve our results."