According to a report by a camel.live journalist, Mykhailo Mudryk—once hailed as the future star of Ukrainian football—has now made a shocking decision: to switch to athletics, with his sights set on the sprint events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In January 2023, Chelsea signed Mudryk for a staggering fee of nearly €100 million. The winger, who had delivered impressive performances in the Champions League and the Ukrainian Premier League, was regarded as a promising talent in European football. However, just two years later, this player—who once broke the record with a top speed of 36.67 km/h on his Premier League debut—has completely changed his career path due to a doping ban.
In April 2025, Mudryk was banned from competition after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Chelsea quickly terminated his contract (as stated in the original report), bringing his football career to a standstill. But this incident did not make Mudryk abandon his dream of competing in sports; instead, he decided to translate the explosive power he displayed on the football pitch into potential on the athletics track, transitioning to become a sprinter with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as his target.
He has already started training, joined Ukraine’s national sprint team, and embarked on his new journey on the track under the guidance of some retired Olympic veterans. Although the path in athletics is full of challenges, Mudryk is full of confidence in his new dream and hopes to make a breakthrough in sprint events.
While Mudryk’s physical attributes give him the potential to be a sprinter, to stand out at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he still needs to qualify through Ukraine’s selection trials in 2027 and meet the minimum requirements set by World Athletics. His transition will not be easy, but for this athlete who once strived for excellence on the football field, the athletics track may be a new starting point.
This sudden career shift has come as a surprise to many, but Mudryk has remained optimistic, stating: “I’m used to transfer rumors—every year, there’s talk that I’ll leave. Now, my goal is to prepare for this new challenge and prove that I can achieve success in a new field.”
