Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is reportedly weighing a dramatic career switch to athletics as uncertainty grows around the club’s future, with fears of a looming ban casting a shadow over Stamford Bridge.
After being found guilty of using a prohibited drug and violating Regulations 3 and 4 of the FA’s anti-doping regulations earlier in the summer, Mudryk was charged with anti-doping rule violations.
It should come as no surprise that the Ukrainian football player is considering changing careers after facing a possible four-year ban.
The 24-year-old, however, has set his sights on a drastic transformation by running as a sprinter for Ukraine at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, according to Spanish news site Marca (via Mirror).
He has been training with past Olympians, the article added, but to have a chance of competing, he would need to pass the Ukrainian trials in 2027 and fulfil the minimum qualifications set by World Athletics.
Athletics, a sport in which Mudryk excelled as a teenager, is now being viewed as a possible escape route. Known for his blistering pace and acceleration, the winger has frequently clocked sprint times that rival those of professional track athletes.
Analysts have long noted that his greatest strength lies in his speed, and a switch to sprinting or middle-distance events could see him enter a different arena of elite competition.
