When the Ukrainian 4 x 100 metre relay team get to their marks in Munich on Friday morning for the heats of the European Championships they will be banking a three-week training stint in Cardiff carrying them into the final.
Kyrylo Prykhodko, Stanislav Kovalenko, Andrii Vasyliev, Oleksandr Sosnovenko and Vasyl Makukh have spent the last three weeks honing their speed and baton exchanges at Cardiff Met after the Welsh university opened its doors and hearts to them.
It all began a conversation between Cardiff Athletics sprints coach Gareth Walton and Ian Bezodis, a senior lecturer in sport biomechanics at Cardiff Met, and led to seven Ukrainian athletes and three coaches being invited to the Welsh capital.
