Anation marred by deadly political protests received a desperately needed victory when the Ukrainian women’s biathlon team won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×6-km relay. The Semerenko twins, Vita and Valj, Juliya Dzhyma and anchor Olena Pidhrushna missed five targets, but avoided penalty loops to finish in 1 hour, 10 minutes, 2.5 seconds. It was Ukraine’s second medal in the Winter Games and second medal in women’s biathlon. And it was Ukraine’s first gold medal at a Winter Olympics in 20 years. Earlier, Vita Semerenko had won a bronze medal in the women’s 7.5-km sprint.
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Saber-fencer Olha Kharlan, a world champion second to none.
A triumphant protest during the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games’ opening ceremonies, amazing gold-medal winning performances the first day of competition and a best-ever second overall finish saw Ukraine’s star shine brightly on Sochi, Russia soil. Ukraine scored five medals on the first day of competition, finishing with a total of 25 (five gold, nine silver). Biathlon and cross-country skiing were Ukraine’s elite disciplines. Vitaliy Lukyanenko won two gold medals (four overall), Juliia Batenkova and Oksana Shyshkova each captured four total medals with the former winning two silvers.
CHEERS OF THE YEAR: Bohdan Bondarenko continues to raise the bar in high jumping, consistently winning gold medals in most international competitions. The same superlatives hold true for saber-fencer Olha Kharlan, a world champion, second to none.
JEERS OF THE YEAR: Thanks to the Russian-supported conflict and economic crisis in eastern Ukraine, Shakhtar Donetsk was forced to move its matches to Lviv, Donbas Donetsk had its entire KHL season canceled, Ukraine had to cede its EuroBasket 2015 hosting honors, and the city of Lviv withdrew its candidacy to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Our sixth annual UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SPORTS AWARDS: Most Outstanding Male Athlete – Vitaliy Lukyanenko, Paralympics biathlon; Most Outstanding Female Athlete – Vita Semerenko, biathlon; Most Outstanding Team – Woman’s National Biathlon Team; and Rookie of the Year – Elina Svitolina, tennis.
Following are other outstanding achievements in various sporting disciplines from the past year, followed by notable goings-on in our diaspora’s world of sports.
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Bohdan Bondarenko continues to raise the bar in high jumping, consistently winning gold in most international competitions.
In ATHLETICS, Ruslan Dmytrenko won two gold medals at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in China on May 3-4. Dmytrenko won the men’s 20-km race and partnered with Ihor Hlavan and Nazar Kovalenko in the men’s 20-km team race. High jumper Andriy Protsenko won gold at the international track and field championships in France on May 11. High jumper Bohdan Bondarenko won first place with a jump of 2.42 meters at the IAAF Diamond League event Adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 14. Nataliya Semenova won gold in women’s discus at the IAAF Meeting in Madrid on July 19. Bondarenko won gold in the high jump (2.35 meters) at the 22nd European Athletics Championship in Zurich on August 12-17. On August 30 Dmytrenko won gold in the 10-km race walk at the Voronovo Cup in Moscow with a personal best time of 38.50, while Lyudmyla Olyanovska won gold in the women’s 10-km walk. Oksana Okaneva won gold in the women’s high jump (1.94 meters) at the 50th Paliio Citta della Quereia in Roverto, Italy on September 2. At the Rieti Meeting 2014 on September 7 in Rieti, Italy, Bondarenko again won gold in the high jump (2.36 m), followed by another gold medal in the high jump (2.37 m) at the IAAF Continental Cup in Morocco on September 13-14.
The EuroBasket 2015 originally to be hosted by Ukraine will now be hosted by another country due to the unrest in Ukraine. Inga Orekhova, daughter of professional BASKETBALL playing parents, completed her college career at the University of South Florida and was drafted 18th overall by the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Ex-NBA coach and television analyst Mike Fratello has given Ukrainian basketball a new identity since taking over as coach of the national team. There is hope for the nation’s squad at EuroBasket 2015.
Ukraine won its first gold in the junior play competition at the 21st BIATHLON European Championship in the Czech Republic on January 19-February 4.
In BOXING, heavyweight Vyacheslav Glazkov defeated Tomasz Adamek on March 15 in Bethlehem, Pa., to pick up the IBF North American heavyweight title. Wladimir Klitschko retained his four heavyweight title belts when he knocked out challenger Alex Leapai in Oberhausen, Germany, on April 26. Vasyl Lomachenko scored a 12-round decision over undefeated Gary Russell Jr. to win the WBO featherweight title on June 21 in Carson, Calif. Lomachenko tied with Thailand’s Saensak Muangsurin for winning a world title in his third pro fight. Klitschko knocked out Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria in Hamburg, Germany, on November 15. A fifth-round knockout, it was his 63rd career victory.
Anna Solovey surprised with top honors, her first medal in an elite category, at a CYCLING race in Spain on September 23.
Ukraine’s men’s team (Nikishyn, Karyuchenko, Gerei and Reizlin) won gold in the Epee Fencer World Championship on January 24-26 in Ligno, Italy. Olha Kharlan won the Orleans Women’s saber Grand Prix 2014 held January 31-February 1 in Orleans, France. Olha Kharlan won the European Champion title in saber FENCING for the fifth time (individual category) in France on June 9. Kharlan won gold in the individual saber event at the 2014 World Fencing Championship in Kazan, Russia, on July 15-23.
The WHL’s Saskatoon Blades hosted a Ukrainian theme night on January 5 when they played Lethbridge. Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul wants to be known as a HOCKEY player and not as a major celebrity. Being traded four times before the age of 28 has made him more mature, serious and aware. Johnny Boychuk finally developed into a solid, all-around NHL defenseman with the Boston Bruins. His “Boychuk bombs” are now playing out on Long Island. NHL veterans Ruslan Fedotenko and Alexei Ponikarovsky were joined by 25 other Ukrainians playing in the KHL during the 2013-2014 season. Travis Zajac of the Devils was ranked as the No. 1 Ukrainian player in the NHL. His pairing with Jaromir Jagr has produced dynamic results for New Jersey. Eighteen players of some Ukrainian descent were on active NHL rosters as of late December.
At the European Cup of JUDO in Slovakia on September 6-7, Vitaliy Kovtunov (90 kg) won gold. At the under-21 European Championship in Romania on September 19-21, Ukraine’s Yakiv Khamimo (over-100 kg) won a gold medal and Anastasiya Turchyn (78 kg) won gold in the women’s division. Svitlana Iaromka (over 78 kg) won a gold medal at the Continental Judo Cup Open in Estonia on September 27-28.
Eleven- and 12-year-old little leaguers played ball in Kyiv on June 5-7 with three teams participating in the 15th championship of LITTLE LEAGUE Ukraine. The team from Kirovohrad was on to the regional championships in Kutno, Poland, where they won two games and lost two games, playing as representatives of a free Ukraine. Ukraine finished with a 3-2 record in the Under-21 European Championship, 1-4 in the European Championship for Cadets and 4-2 in Women’s U-22 European Championship (softball). The war in Ukraine took a toll on the country’s Little League Baseball Championships held in Kremenets on September 15-19. The Rivne team dominated the local Kremenets squad, 11-1, to capture the 7th ULLC title.
In MARTIAL ARTS, Ukraine’s national Wushu team won 106 medals at the European Wushu Championship in Romania on May 8-12 (39 gold, 36 silver, 31 bronze).
Lucas Makowsky competed as a member of the Canadian long-track speed skating team at the 2014 Winter OLYMPICS. Vita Semerenko unexpectedly won a bronze medal in the woman’s biathlon 7.5-km sprint. Ukrainian Aliona Savchenko and German Robin Szolkowy won bronze in pairs figure skating. Ukraine’s athletes showed solidarity with their homeland while competing at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Numerous Ukrainian athletes represented other countries at the Olympics, with several having their birthplaces changed to hide their ethnic background. Team Ukraine won 29 total medals (nine gold, nine silver, 11 bronze) at the Summer Youth Olympic Games concluded on August 28 in Nanjing, China.
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Paralympic gold medalist in the biathlon Vitaliy Lukyanenko.
Oksana Masters, winner of a bronze medal in rowing at the 2012 PARALYMPICS in London, competed as a member of the U.S. Nordic Ski Team in the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The 24-year-old Ukraine native, a double amputee, qualified to compete in cross-country skiing and biathlon. She won a silver medal in women’s 12-km cross-country skiing and a bronze medal in 5-km sitting skiing. Some members of the Paralympic team staged “silent protests” against the turmoil in their country by covering their medals during award ceremonies. All but one of 31 Ukrainian athletes boycotted the opening ceremony’s parade in protest of Russia’s invasion into Crimea. The opening march saw a lone Ukrainian athlete, flag-bearer Mykhailo Tkachenko, greeted by a thunderous ovation by the capacity crowd.
Ukrainian SOCCER coach Gene Chyzowych was awarded the 2014 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award on January 18 in Philadelphia. A dedicated soccer coach and sports advocate, Gene Chyzowych, passed away on May 10, at the age of 79, following a long battle with cancer. He served as head coach of the U.S. National Soccer Team and the U.S. Olympic Team (1973-1974). Shakhtar Donetsk won the G Drive United Super Cup on February 6 in Israel, sweeping its three matches. Ukraine, the world’s top-rated soccer power not qualified for the 2014 World Cup, shut out the United States, 2-0, in an exhibition match shifted from Kharkiv to the island of Cyprus in early March. A global campaign to boycott sponsors of FIFA’s World Cup in opposition to Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea and Russia’s support of terrorist activities in eastern Ukraine was launched in May. The 2018 World Cup is scheduled to be played in Russia. Ukraine has asked FIFA to suspend Russia from hosting the World Cup. Dynamo Kyiv won its 10th Ukrainian Cup title on May 15 in Poltava, defeating Shakhtar Donets, 2-1. Earlier, Shakhtar won its fifth straight Ukrainian Premier League title on May 11, beating Zorya Luhansk 3-1. On May 22 Ukraine’s national team defeated Nigeria 2-1 in an international friendly match in Kyiv. At least nine players from Ukrainian soccer clubs saw action in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, including three (Srna, Alves da Silva and Bernard) from Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar played matches in Kyiv due to the instability in the Donbas region. On July 23 the club moved its matches to Arena Lviv. The Ukrainian national team is benefitting from the modern soccer philosophies espoused by 64-year-old coach Mykhaylo Fomenko. On August 9 soccer legend Andriy Bal passed away at age 56 while on a practice session. On September 17 Ukrainian soccer star Andriy Husin, 41, died as a result of a motorcycle accident. Police in Belarus detained some 100 Ukrainian soccer fans for chanting vulgar verses directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 10. The incident came a day before Mr. Putin’s arrival for a meeting of leaders from the CIS. On December 4 UEFA announced it would ban Crimean clubs from participating in Russian competitions as of January 1, 2015. It is hoped competitions in Crimea will be held by Ukrainian structures under the auspices of the Football Federation of Ukraine.
In SWIMMING, Ukraine’s synchronized swim team won first place in the senior highlight free final at the 13th FINA Synchronized Swimming World Cup 2014 in Quebec on October 2-5.
Tetiana Omelchenko (60 kg) won gold at the Golden Grand Prix de Paris Seine Ouest held February 8-9. Murzai Mehedidze (96 kg) won first place in the freestyle event at the European Championship in freestyle WRESTLING in Katowice, Poland, on June 21-22. At the Golden Grand Prix on July 24 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Alexander Khotsianivski (125 kg) won gold in the freestyle event. Yulia Tkach won gold (63 kg) at the World Championships in Uzbekistan on September 8. Alexander Khotsianivski (125 kg) won gold in freestyle at the Ramzan Kadyrov Cup in Grozny, Chechnya, on October 10.
DIASPORA SPORTS news included the 60th annual ski races organized by the Carpathian Ski Club (KLK), which took place March 1 at Hunter Mountain. Some 74 registered skiers, ranging in age from under 4 to over 75, competed. Stamford Levy defeated Sitch 2 by a score of 3-0, in the championship final of Chornomorska Sitch’s eighth annual five-a-side indoor soccer tournament on March 8 in Whippany, N.J. Nestor Paslawsky was inducted into the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Hall of Fame in April.
The USCAK Indoor Invitational Volleyball Tournament was held on May 3 at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center in Whippany, N.J. Hosted by Lys Sports Academy, the tournament was won by Chornomorska Sitch. A total of 193 teams competed at Tryzub’s 13th annual Ukrainian Nationals Soccer Tournament in Horsham, Pa., over Memorial Day weekend. There were 17 champions in the boys’ brackets and 13 in the brackets for girls. Eighty golfers from six states competed on June 7 in Tryzub’s annual golf outing at Limekiln Golf Club. The Chornomorska Sitch men’s team won first place in the second annual Ukrainian Heritage Festival Tournament in memory of Steven Howansky on June 14 in Yonkers, N.Y. A total of eight teams competed.
More than 40 participants took part in the annual USCAK-East Tennis Tournament at the Soyuzivka Heritage Center on June 28-29. The 58th annual event was contested in 12 age and gender categories in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The 30th Ukrainian Youth Games were held on July 31-August 1 at the Ukrainian American Youth Association campgrounds in Ellenville, N.Y., and at Soyuzivka, with 154 athletes participating in friendly competition. Hosted under the auspices of USCAK, the games’ sporting dockets comprised soccer, volleyball, track and field, and swimming. The third annual USCAK National Beach Volleyball Tournament was held on August 22 in Wildwood Crest, N.J. Old Style from Chicago prevailed over Sitch Seniors to win the championship. Marko Krasij defeated 2013 champion Mykola Stroynick in the men’s finals of the 59th annual USCAK National Tennis Tournament held at Soyuzivka over Labor Day weekend. Lesia Bilak Schinnerer bested Halyna Kostenko in the woman’s final. The same venue over the same weekend saw Chornomorska Sitch win the 58th annual USCAK Swim Championships. The 16th annual Plast Chicago Golf outing was held on September 6 at Oak Brook Golf Club in Oak Brook, Ill. Fifty-two men and women golfers competed in the yearly event hosted by the Pobratymy Foundation.