Once it was a sideshow – but this year, Ukranian soldiers competed with LGBTQ+ pioneers in a sport that’s being taken seriously
Oleksii Novikov doesn’t walk into the room. He turns sideways, and shuffles through the doorway like someone navigating a particularly busy bar.
At 6ft 1in and 300lb of solid muscle, Novikov’s shoulders are three and a half feet wide. His hands, permanently curled from years of lifting really heavy stuff, are like bear paws, his wrists as thick as some people’s biceps. He’s wearing an XXXXL T-shirt.
