Ukrainian athletes shine at 2024 Paralympics: Dementiev takes gold in road race, Danylina claims silver in sprint event
Photo: open sources
Yehor Dementiev, a cyclist from Ukraine, claimed the gold medal in the group road race at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Additionally, fellow athlete Liudmyla Danylina finished second in the one-and-a-half-kilometer race at the Paris Paralympics.
The competition results evidence this.
Yehor Dementiev
Photo: Facebook / NOC of Ukraine
The 37-year-old Ukrainian secured first place in the 14.2 km race against competitors in the C4–5 classification. This marks the paraathlete's second award this year, following his "silver" medal in the individual pursuit event on the track.
Dementiev maintained his position among the leaders throughout the entire race. His main rivals were the French duo of Kevin le Cunff and Gatien le Rousseau and Dutchman Maarten van de Pol. Ultimately, the Ukrainian proved to be the most nimble.
The competition ended with all four cyclists finishing at the same time. However, in the photo finish, it was clear that Dementiev was the first to cross the finish line. He was notably ahead of le Cunff by a full bicycle length. Van de Pol took third place.
Paralympics-2024, cycling, group road race, C4-5, men:
- Yehor Dementiev (Ukraine)
- Kevin le Cunff (France)
- Maarten van de Pol (Netherlands)
Overall, Dementiev has won five gold medals at various Paralympic Games over the years. However, he recently achieved his first victory in the group race since 2012's London Games. He also emerged victorious in the individual road race.
Liudmyla Danylina
Photo: Lintao Zhang
Ukrainian athlete Liudmyla Danylina finished second in the one-and-a-half kilometer race at the Paris Paralympics.
The 38-year-old Ukrainian woman became the silver medalist of the Games. She set a personal record in the discipline with a time of 4:28.40 minutes.
Danylina lost only to the Polish paraathlete Barbara Bieganowski-Zajac. The Ukrainian runner lost to her by more than two seconds. Brazilian Antonia Keyla da Silva Barros completed the podium. She lagged behind the experienced Ukrainian by 1 second.
Danylina maintained her medal-winning streak at the Paralympic Games. It started in 2016 with a bronze in Rio de Janeiro and continued in 2021 with a silver in Tokyo. The Ukrainian athlete earned all of her medals in the 1500 m race.
Paralympics-2024, running, 1500 m, T20, women:
- Barbara Bieganowski-Zajac (Poland)
- Liudmyla Danylina (Ukraine)
- Antonia Keyla da Silva Barros (Brazil)
For reference:
Paralympic athlete Pomazan earned "gold" in the shot put event yesterday, September 5. In the final, she threw a projectile of 12.75m, marking her third win in this discipline at the Paralympic Games, following her victories in London and Tokyo.
Earlier, para–athlete Pomazan claimed "gold" in the shot put. In the final, she launched a projectile 12.75 m. This marks her third victory in this event at the Paralympic Games, following successes in London and Tokyo.
Furthermore, Nataliia Nikolaichyk, a judoka, won the Paris Paralympics. In the competition's final round, she defeated Japan's Shizuka Hangai.
It should be noted that the day before, Ukrainian athlete Andrii Trusov became the swimming champion of the 2024 Paralympic Games and set a new world record.
The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8, 2024, in Paris at the same venues used for the Olympic Games.
At the opening ceremony, the Ukrainian flag was carried by fencer Olena Fedota-Isaieva and rower Roman Poliansky.
At the previous competitions in Tokyo, Ukraine took 6th place in the medal count, having won a total of 98 awards, 24 of which were gold.
The Ukrainian Paralympic team has already won 55 medals (15 gold, 18 silver, and 22 bronze) and is sixth in the overall team standings.
