Alina Shapovalova is a Ukrainian ILCA 6 sailor from Odesa whose Olympic campaign has been shaped by both exceptional results and an extraordinary restart. She began sailing at nine and developed through the Optimist and ILCA pathway on the Black Sea. When Russia’s full-scale invasion forced her family to leave Ukraine in 2022, Alina lost the home base and support system around her sailing. Now living in Switzerland as a refugee, she rebuilt her campaign in a new country while continuing to race for Ukraine. The experience demanded far more than adapting to unfamiliar training venues: it meant finding boats, coaching and funding while remaining competitive with the best young sailors in the world. Her results show how strongly she responded. Alina won the 2024 ILCA 6 Youth European Championship in Northern Ireland and placed fifth at the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships. In 2025 she earned bronze at the ILCA 6 Youth Europeans, then won the silver medal at the ILCA 6 Youth World Championship in Los Angeles, finishing only 16 points behind the champion. She returned to the Youth Sailing World Championships later that year and again finished fifth. Alina is now stepping from youth competition into the senior ILCA 6 fleet. Her 2026 program brought her to Southern California for the North American Championship and the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta, giving her valuable racing time on the waters that will host Olympic sailing in 2028. Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club has named her an honorary member and is helping connect her campaign with the local sailing community. Her goal is to represent Ukraine at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Between now and then, she plans a full international campaign built around roughly 200 days on the water each year, senior World and European Championships, and regular training blocks in California, Switzerland and the Mediterranean. For Alina, reaching LA28 would be both an athletic achievement and a chance to carry Ukraine’s flag on the world stage.