June 17, 2021

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JUDO
Khammo wins bronze at Worlds in Hungary

Yakiv Khammo (+100 kg) won bronze at the World Judo Championships on June 6-12 in Budapest, Hungary. In the third-place match, Khammo won against Gela Zaalishvili of Georgia, and in the lead-up match Khammo won against Martti Puumalainen of Finland. Ukraine was represented by 13 athletes – nine males and four females. Anastasiia Turchyn, who qualified after she finished in fifth place at the tournament, will join Khammo in representing Ukraine at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

KARATE
Serogina earns spot to compete in Tokyo Olympics
Anita Serogina (61 kg) earned an Olympic license and a chance to compete at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games after finishing in second place at the Karate World Olympic Qualification Tournament on June 11-13 in Paris. In the quarterfinal, Serogina, 31, won 4-1 against Haya Jumaa of Canada; and in the semifinal she tied 1-1 with Btissam Sadini of Morocco, which led to a 2-0 win against Janessa Fonseca of Puerto Rico in a repechage match. In the round-robin stage, the Ukrainian finished in second place with five points, two wins and one draw, to finish with a score of 3-0 (2-0 win against Claudymar Garces of Venezuela and 1-0 against Sabina Zakharova of Kazakhstan, and 0-0 against Sadini). The tournament attracted athletes from 21 national Olympic committees. Serogina won the gold at the 2019 European Games held in Minsk and she was a silver medalist at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.

GYMNASTICS
Ukraine wins multiple medals in World Cup series
Ihor Radivilov and Diana Varinska won gold and silver, respectively, at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series in Osijek, Croatia, on June 10-13. Radivilov won gold in the men’s vault and Varinska won silver in the women’s balance beam. Ukraine won 11 medals at the World Cup series event in Cairo on June 3-6. Illia Kovtun won gold in the men’s floor exercise, Pommel horse and horizontal bar, and bronze medals in the men’s vault and parallel bars. Nazar Chpurnyi won gold in the men’s vault and bronze in the Pommel horse, and Roman Vashchenko won bronze in the men’s rings. In the women’s division, Varinska won gold in the uneven bars and two silver medals, in balance beam and floor exercise. At the competition on May 27-30 in Varna, Bulgaria, Ukraine won five medals (four gold and one silver). Kovtun won gold in the men’s Pommel horse and parallel bars, and Chepurnyi won gold in the vault; and Anastasiia Bachynska won gold in the women’s balance beam and Varinska won silver in the uneven bars. The World Cup series continues with competitions scheduled for September 2-5 in Koper, Slovenia, and on September 9-12 in Mersin, Turkey.

BOXING
Malinovskyi wins WBO featherweight title
Featherweight Oleg Malinovskyi (27-0, 7 KO) won a 10-round contest by majority decision (97-93, 97-93, 95-95) against Nathanel Kakololo (11-2-1, 4 KO) of Nigeria on June 12 in Ukraine. With the win, Malinovskyi was declared the WBO Intercontinental featherweight champion (the title was vacant).

Medvedenko wins women’s EBU title
Olena Medvedenko (63.5 kg) won the European boxing championship EBU title on June 12 in Stade de Football in Vise, Belgium, against Djemilla Gontaruk (16-7-2, 2 KO) of Belgium by unanimous decision. Judges scored the fight 97-93, 96-94, 98-92. Medvedenko (10-8, 3 KO) adds her name as the second European champion among professional boxers in the history of Ukraine, with the first being Alina Shaternikova in 1999.

PARALYMPICS
Paralympic swimmers win first place in Portugal
Ukraine won first place in the medals standings (93 medals – 33 gold, 32 silver and 28 bronze) and second place in the gold-medal tally, falling to Italy’s 34 gold medals, at the 2020 Para European Swimming Championships on May 16-22 in Madeira, Portugal (the event was postponed from 2020 to 2021). Maksym Krypak (S10, SM10) won seven medals: gold in the 100-meter backstroke, 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter freestyle and the 50-meter freestyle; and silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Yelyzaveta Mereshko (S6, SB5, SM6) won seven medals as well: gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter individual medley and 50-meter freestyle; silver in the 4×50-meter freestyle relay and the 400-meter freestyle; and bronze in the 100-meter backstroke. Andrii Trusov (S7, SB6, SM7) also won seven medals: gold in the 400-meter freestyle, 50-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle; silver in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay; and bronze medals in the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter individual medley. Mykhailo Serbin (S11, SB11, SM11) also won seven medals: gold in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter individual medley and 400-meter freestyle; silver in the 100-meter freestyle; and bronze medals in the 100-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly and the 50-meter freestyle. Ukraine was represented by 41 athletes (29 male, 12 female).

Valeriy Sushkevych issues appeal for Paralympians
Valeriy Sushkevych, a member of the Verkhovna Rada and president of the National Committee of Sports for the Disabled of Ukraine (National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine), issued an appeal via his Facebook page on May 16 for Ukraine’s Paralympians who are scheduled to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Mr. Sushkevych stated: “100 days – on this very day until the highest sports forum, the XVI Paralympic Games at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. It is 2020, because for the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in light of the pandemic, the Games were postponed until 2021. These Paralympics will be very difficult and unique, because the pandemic dictates its own rules. Especially the preparations, and the competition for licenses to participate at the Paralympic Games will be held with very confusing rules! But at this time, Ukraine’s Paralympians have already secured 108 licenses, and this for 118 of Ukraine’s athletes, who have the right to defend Ukraine’s sporting honor in Tokyo. Today, when the licenses are secured, five more licenses in track and field, seven in wheelchair fencing. Nearly every week, Ukraine’s teams represent at various corners of the world to fight and win at world competitions, European championships, world cups, international qualifiers at a high level of competition, where our athletes fight for their right to participate in the Paralympic Games. Our plan is to secure 174 licenses, and thus, Ukraine’s national team can be represented by 207 Paralympians in Tokyo. It is my pleasure to state that the level of achievement at international competitions lays the groundwork for optimism for Ukraine’s future results at the Paralympics. Recently, Ukraine won three gold, one silver and one bronze at the Paracanoe championships, and won first place in the team competition! 100 days – on to Tokyo! P.S. Today begins the European swimming championships. Hope and faith to victory!”

BEACH SOCCER
Men’s and women’s teams in group stages
Ukraine’s men’s team in Group 1 of the 2021 Euro Beach Soccer League plays against Germany on June 17, against Azerbaijan on June 18 and against Portugal (tournament hosts) on June 19. Ukraine’s women’s team will make its debut at the Women’s Euro Beach Soccer League (June 17 through September 12), having drawn Group 1: against Spain on June 17, Switzerland on June 18 and the Netherlands on June 19.

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