Sportsmen are now among the most famous Ukrainians in the world.
The forward Andriy Shevchenko has become a real symbol of Ukraine on the soccer field playing for the Italian club, AC “Milan”. An idol for numerous fans is called “An Eastern Devil” in Italy, where a book about him has been published under the same title. For tiffosi (fans) he’s just Sheva, an object of criticism and adoration.
The “Dynamo” (Kyiv) soccer team, 13 times the USSR champion, also won the European Cup Holder's Cup twice (in 1975 and 1986), and in 1975 also won the Euro Supercup. Its members – first Oleg Blokhin and then Igor Byelanov - were voted the Europe's best soccer players and received the “Golden Ball” award; a member of the Dnipropetrovsk “Dnipro” team Oleg Protasov was awarded the “Silver football boot” as the best bombardier of the European championships.
Yana Klochkova, who is the fastest swimmer in the world and brings home medals from every competition, is called “the Golden Fish”.
And the brothers Volodymyr and Vitali Klitschko are world famous boxers.
Volodymyr Klitschko during his 6.5 year long professional career had been awarded the titles of:
• WBC intercontinental champion (14.02.1998 - 05.12.1998, 18.03.2000 - 14.10.2000);
• WBA intercontinental champion (17.07.1999 - 14.10.2000, з 30.08.2003);
• European champion (25.09.1999 - 14.10.2000);
• WBO world champion (14.10.2000 - 08.03.2003).
During his 6.5 years of professional fighting Vitali Klitschko won the following titles:
• WВО intercontinental champion (2.05.1998 - 24.10.1998);
• European champion (24.10.1998 - 26.06.1999, 25.11.2000 - 29.09.2002);
• WBA intercontinental champion (27.01.2001 - 21.06.2003);
• WBO world champion (26.06.1999 - 01.04.2000).
From the beginning of the 20th century, Ukraine has excelled at sport.
The Ukrainian Greco Roman wrestler Ivan Piddubny (1871-1949), was known throughout Europe and did not lose a single championship for 40 years until he retired undefeated.
One of the most prominent events in Kyiv at that time was the 1st All-Russian Olympics, held in 1913 and dedicated to the opening of the All-Russian industrial exhibition celebrating 300 years of the rule of Romanoff family. A stadium was built in Kyiv especially for the competitions – with race-tracks, a cycle-track as well as stands for 5 000 seats. The program of the Olympics included such kinds of sports as track and field, marathon, soccer, wrestling, weight-lifting, fencing, swimming, gymnastics, horseback riding, cycle and motorcycle racing along the Kyiv – Chernigiv – Kyiv route.
A new impetus for development had been given to Ukrainian sports and physical culture after the 1917. After 1921, All-Ukrainian sports days, Olympics and other sports events were held regularly. Later departments and institutes of physical education were opened.
Different types of cycle runs, cycle and hiking tours gained huge popularity during the 1930s. In 1936-1937 Ukrainian sportsmen participated in cycle runs including the Odessa – Vladivostok (14 317 km long) and the “Along the borders of the USSR” (30 872 km).
One of the most heroic events in the history of Ukrainian sports during the World War II was “The Death Match”, which later originated many legends. During the Nazi occupation of Kyiv former “Dynamo” players organized a new team “Start” and held a number of triumphant games with the German soldiers. Some of them later were put into concentration camps and executed.
After the war the development of the sports in Ukraine continued, many impressive sports events were organized, every 4 years Ukrainian sports days and Sports days of the USSR people were held, and Ukrainian team always won different medals.
Many Ukrainian sports people gained worldwide fame while participating in the USSR national teams. Representatives of Ukrainian school of rhythmic gymnastics Iryna Deryugina, Oleksandra Tymoshenko, Oksana Skaldina and others more than once won the word and European championships. Larysa Latynina had won 18 Olympic medals – the record of the entire history of the games.
The "Spartak" female handball team from Kyiv, led by Senior Coach Ihor Turchyn has won 13 European Champion's Cups. Team members Zinaida Turchyna and Larysa Karlova were named best players in the World and European Championships several times.
Multiple world champion in pole-vault, Olympic champion, a 6 time world champion, Sergey Bubka has set 35 world records, repeatedly won the “Grand-prix” series competition and was named the “world’s best sportsman”. After finishing his sports career he founded the “Zepter – pole stars” tournament, which has become very popular in the world.
At the XVII Olympics of 1994 in Lillehammer, Ukraine was represented by its own national team. The first “gold” Olympic medal for the independent country was won by the figure skater Oksana Baiul – silver European medalist in 1993, world champion and Olympic champion in 1994.
The performance of Ukrainian team at the XXVI summer Olympics in Atlanta placed Ukraine among the 10 best sports countries in the world, with Ukrainian sportsmen ascending the Olympic pedestal nine times. Their names have become well-known around the world: Greco Roman wrestler Vyacheslav Oleynyk, gymnast Lilia Podkopayeva, weightlifter Timur Taimazov, rhythmic gymnast Yekaterina Serebryanskaya, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, jumper Inessa Kravets, archer Rustam Sharipov, yahtmen Yevhen Braslavets and Ihor Matviyenko and others.
Andriy Shevchenko (born 1976) – 5 times champion of Ukraine, member of the national team and the best forward of the Champions League of the end of the 1990-s, the best player of the Champions League of 1998-1999 (awarded by UEFA special commission in August 1999); the best bombardier of the Italian championship (A series) in 1999-2000 (24 goals), 2nd among the bombardiers in 2000-2001, Italian champion in 2004.
Yana Klochkova (born 1982) – 11 times European, 3 times world and 4 times Olympic champion (Sydney – 2000, Athens – 20004) in 200, 400 and 800 m, holder of the World cups. She’s also the world and Olympic record-setter in 400m Individual Medley (4 min. 33,59 sec.).
A Ukrainian chess-player Ruslan Ponomariov at 14 has become the world’s youngest grand master, world champion among men under 18. Another Ukrainian star in sports is Kateryna Lahno, who at 12 has become the world’s youngest female grand master. Now she’s among the 10 best players in FIDE women’s rating list.
Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Anna Bessonova, athlete Ivan Heshko continue to win medals at different competitions; Our fencers Natalia Konrad Hаталія Конрад і Volodymir Lukashenko, who for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine won the gold medals at the world championship. Ukrainian shooter Mikola Milchev also has added Olympic medals to his achievements.
One of the world’s best mountain-climbers is Vladyslav Terziul, who conquered almost all 14 mountains over 8 000 m without oxygen and repeated the record of Reinhold Messner. Ukrainian sportsmen also keep winning medals at international competitions in close fight, rock-climbing and unarmed self-defense (Ukraine is rated 2nd among 52 countries developing this kind of sport) .
Ukraine is developing such national kinds of sport as Cossacks’ combat wrestling, “combat hopak”, “spas” (national type of wrestling). They embody Ukrainian fighting traditions and attract mostly young people interested in the nation’s history.
Since Independence, the Ukrainian national team has won 23 Olympic medals: first in 1996 in Atlanta, then in 2000 in Sydney and now in 2004 in Athens. In Athens Ukraine was placed 12 among 202 participating countries in the unofficial team rating with its 9 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals. The gold winners were Yana Klochkova (200m and 400m Individual Medley – second Olympics in a row), Nataliya Skakun (weightlifting), Irini Merleni (wrestling), Olena Kostevych (shooting), Yuriy Bilonog (shot put), Yuri Nikitin (trampoline), Valeri Goncharov (gymnastics, parallel bars), Elbrus Tedeyev (wrestling). |
