Tony Martin auctions off silver medal from 2012 Summer Olympics to raise money for Ukrainian children – USA TODAY

Pro-Ukraine protests continue amid ongoing Russian invasion

As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia enters a second month, protesters around the world are rallying in support of Ukraine.

Damien Henderson, USA TODAY

German cyclist Tony Martin won four time trial world championships over the course of his 14-year professional career, but only one Olympic medal.

Now he's parting with it,with hopes that it will help those in need.

Martin announced Sunday that he is auctioning off the silver medal he won at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London to raise money for Ukrainian children and their familiesthroughRTL Wir helfen Kindern, a German charity organization.

As of Monday night, the leading bid had already eclipsed 12,000 euros more than $13,300. The auction runs through April 9.

"It's not easy to separate me from the biggest trophy I could win in my career," Martin, 36, wrote on Instagram,"but considering the fact that millions of people lost almost everything, it is something I really want to do!"

Martin, who retired in September, wrote that he had been watching footage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on television in recent weeks and "it feels so wrong to sit on the couch and accept this situation." So he figured he would try to help, by parting with the medal he won in the men's road time trial event in London nearly a decade ago.

A time trial specialist, Martin won four time trial world championships andfive Tour de France stages over the course of his career. After winning silver in London, he returned to the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 but finished 12th in the time trial event there. It would prove to be his final Olympic appearance.

Martin wrote on Instagram that he auctioned his medal in hopes that it will help those most in need of protection during Russia's invasion: Ukrainian children.

More than half of the nation's 7.5 million kids were displaced in the war's first month according to UNICEF, which has described it as "one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II."

"I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people of Ukraine will get back their peace and freedom very soon," Martin wrote on Instagram.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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Tony Martin auctions off silver medal from 2012 Summer Olympics to raise money for Ukrainian children - USA TODAY