Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler Zhan Beleniuk wins bronze at 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
Photo: AP / Eugene Hoshiko
On August 8, at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Ukrainian wrestler Zhan Beleniuk competed in and won the bronze medal match for Greco-Roman wrestling.
Suspilne Sport reports this.
The Ukrainian athlete, age 33, claimed a victory against his Polish opponent, Arkadiusz Kułynycz, in the weight class of up to 87 kilograms, with a score of 3:1.
Beleniuk brought Ukraine its fourth bronze medal.
Photo: Suspilne Sport
The Tokyo–2020 gold medalist kicked off the Olympics–2024 with a dominant win against China's Qian Haitao – 7:1. Then, in the quarterfinals, the Ukrainian triumphed over Kazakhstan's representative, Nursultan Tursynov.
Unfortunately, Beleniuk was defeated in the semi-finals by Iranian wrestler Alireza Mohmadipiani. Despite a close score of 3:3 against Zhan, the current world runner-up was able to advance to the finals due to the final technical point.
In the match for the "bronze" of the Games 2024, Beleniuk met with Pole Arkadiusz Kułynycz.
Photo: Suspilne Sport
- The athletes initially engaged in the fight at a relaxed pace, but the Pole was still able to secure the first points: 1:0 in Kułynycz's favor thanks to Beleniuk's lack of action. The first period of the match concluded with the same score.
- Zhan actively started the second part of the confrontation: the Ukrainian won by one point due to the superiority of the last technical point.
- Beleniuk picked up the initial point thanks to the Pole's more laid-back approach to wrestling. The Ukrainian quickly earned two more points, putting him in the lead with a score of 3-1. Zhan was able to maintain this score for the remainder of the match, securing third place at the 2024 Olympics.
Zhan Beleniuk's final match for the "bronze" was the last one of his 24-year career. It was a fitting end to his journey as he retired with a medal at the 2024 Games, symbolically passing on the torch to the next generation of wrestlers after a fierce competition.
It should be added that Beleniuk is the Olympic champion of Tokyo 2020 and the silver medalist of Rio 2016. Now he has bronze in Paris-2024.
Moreover, also on August 8, Greco-Roman wrestler Parviz Nasibov brought Ukraine the third "silver" of the 2024 Olympic Games, losing to Iranian Said Esmaili in the final of the weight category up to 87 kg.
This is Ukraine's first wrestling achievement at the 2024 Olympics. The "bleu-yellow" athletes have earned medals in this sport at all eight previous Olympic Games. Furthermore, this is the ninth medal from any category (and the third silver) for the Ukrainian national team across all sports at the 2024 Olympic Games.
For reference:
On July 26, the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games was held in the capital of France, Paris, officially kicking off the biggest sports event in the world. This year, for the first time, the celebrations were held not at the stadium but on the water. The 2024 Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 11.
- On July 29, saber fencer Olha Kharlan brought Ukraine the first medal of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris—she won the "bronze" medal in the individual saber fencing tournament.
- On August 1, Serhii Kulish won silver in rifle shooting from three positions at 50 m, giving Ukraine its second award of the 2024 Games.
- On August 2, boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak succeeded by advancing to the semi-finals of the 2024 Olympics, which secured him a medal. He competed against Brazilian fighter Wanderley de Souza Pereira and ultimately won by a unanimous decision by the judges in favor of the Ukrainian.
- On August 3, in the finals of the 2024 Olympics, Ukraine won a gold medal in saber fencing in the women's team. For the first time, the Ukrainian national anthem was played during the winners' award ceremony at the 2024 Olympics.
- Ukrainian track and field star Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold in the high jump on August 4, earning the top spot in the final at the 2024 Olympic Games. Fellow Ukrainian jumper Iryna Gerashchenko also won bronze.
- On August 4, Ukrainian hammer thrower Mykhailo Kokhan became the bronze medalist of the 2024 Olympic Games. His best result is 79.39 m.
- On August 5, Ukrainian gymnast Illia Kovtun won a silver medal in the parallel bars competition at the 2024 Olympics.
- On August 7, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak became the Olympic boxing champion for Paris–2024. In the 80kg weight category, Khyzhniak secured a win over Kazakhstan's Nurbek Oralbay with a split decision, ultimately taking home the highly sought-after gold medal.
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