Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
"Goldfish" that stays silent about the war was surpassed by a native of Mykolaiv
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Olha Kharlan — a famous Ukrainian épée fencer, Olympic champion and record holder. 36-year-old athlete broke the national record, which previously belonged to swimmer Yana Khlysnko? [Note: Original Ukrainian text uses a placeholder here; kept as-is to preserve meaning] — 5 Olympic medals. By the way, the "goldfish" did not express support for Ukraine and Ukrainians after Russia's full-scale invasion. Moreover, she moved to live in the occupied Crimea, where she handed over her only son to the Russian school.
Kharlan can boast a team gold at the Olympics in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, a team bronze in Rio 2016, and also three individual bronze medals at the Olympics in London 2012, Rio 2016, and Paris 2024.
What is known about Olha Kharlan and childhood photos
The future fencing star was born 4 September 1990 in Mykolaiv to the family of Hennadiy Anatoliyovych and Iryna Haryiivna Kharlanovs. Her father engaged in sailing. Olha also has an older sister, Tetyana.
The girl began fencing at age 9, having switched from athletic dance, which she enjoyed for 3 years. The future star of Ukrainian sport’s parents faced financial difficulties then related to buying clothes and shoes for their growing daughter. The first fencing lessons were free, as they were conducted by her godfather Anatoliy Shpikyara.
Soon Kharlan began showing notable success. 2003-year-old she won the Ukrainian Cup in fencing, and the next year Olha participated in the European Junior Championship and won a silver medal.
2007 year the Ukrainian athlete won the title of World Champion among juniors. Also as part of the Ukrainian national team she won the World Cup. Through relentless training she became eight-time European champion and six-time World champion.
In the summer 2021 Kharlan, representing Ukraine, went to the Olympics in Japan. However in Tokyo she could not advance beyond the first bout, losing to Chinese athlete Yang Henyu. After that the fencer decided to take a break from her sports career.
In the same year Olha took part in 8 season of the show "Dancing with the Stars", where her partner was choreographer Dmytro Dikusar. The pair reached the show's final and won second place, giving the victory to actor Artur Lohai and Anna Karelin.
After 24 February Dikusar joined the defense of the country and is now on the front. Earlier the serviceman shared the last conversation with his fallen comrade.
Olha Kharlan and politics
As early as 2010 Kharlan was elected deputy of Mykolaiv City Council from the Party of Regions. In 2012 she was included in the party list of the Party of Regions at number 194 in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada, but her number did not pass.
After the Revolution of Dignity Kharlan left the faction in the Mykolaiv City Council and said she would not go into politics again. "I had experience. It was a long time ago, and one could say it was a bitter experience. I set myself the rule that I would never get into this. There are people who find this more interesting, and they understand it better," the athlete said.
Olha Kharlan's personal life
In August 2014 she married Ukrainian foil fencer Dmytro Boyko — a medalist at world and European championships. In 2018 the couple separated.
In 2015 the fencer began dating Italian foil fencer Luigi Samuele, a multiple Olympic medalist. Earlier Kharlan stated that her lover always supports her in everything and condemns bloodshed in Ukraine.
Handshake scandal
In the 1/32 finals of the World Fencing Championship, held in Milan in July 2023, Olha Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova. However, after the bout, Kharlan refused to shake hands with her opponent and did not allow her to approach, holding her sabre out.
The Russian side filed a protest, arguing that under FIE rules opponents must shake hands to show respect. The organizers ignored the protest, but disqualified Kharlan for 60 days. The Ukrainian side then filed an appeal.
After the public outcry, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) intervened, allocating a quota for Kharlan to the Paris Olympics. A bit later the FIE lifted Kharlan's disqualification, citing Olympic principles.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item ""Вічне" досягнення Клочкової перевершили: що відомо про чемпіонку Ольгу Харлан і як вона виглядала в дитинстві (фото)". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Telegraf.