Ukrainian wrestlers Parviz Nasibov and Zhan Beleniuk won silver and bronze respectively at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 8.
Nasibov won the silver medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 67 kilogram wrestling competition, losing gold to Iran’s Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi. Nasibov previously won a silver medal at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Beleniuk, who won gold in Tokyo and is also a Ukrainian lawmaker, won bronze in the men’s Greco-Roman 87 kilogram competition, beating Polish athlete Arkadiusz Kulynycz.
Beleniuk took off his shoes on the mat after the match, indicating he had wrestled professionally for the last time.
With three golds, three silvers, and three bronzes, Ukraine is currently tied for 15th place with Hungary and Sweden in the overall medal table.
Gold medals were secured by Ukrainian fencers Olga Kharlan, Alina Komashchuk, Yuliia Bakastova, and Olena Kravatska in the saber team competition, as well as by high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh and boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak, who competed in the 80 kg weight category.
Wrestler-politician Zhan Beleniuk starts last Olympic run aiming for back-to-back gold
Winning his first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo after taking a months-long break from parliament, Ukrainian lawmaker Zhan Beleniuk is set to repeat his successful run and quit wrestling for good. The 33-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler from Kyiv has been contemplating retirement for years, acknowledging…
