Although Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk’s Europa League final on May 26 was a 3-2 loss to Spain’s Seville on the pitch in Warsaw, Poland, one can pitch the notion it was a win for Ukrainians everywhere – and a highlight of sports news in 2015.
Fans who could not afford the trip were awarded transportation and tickets by the club. It was a great opportunity for Ukrainian sports fans affected by Russia’s aggression to escape, cheer for their countrymen and lift their spirits. The pro-Ukraine crowd in Warsaw voiced loud displeasure with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The expression of solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression – during a major European soccer event that attracts millions of viewers worldwide – was a diplomatic slap in the face to Russia with soccer as the medium. Quite a contrast to Russia using the Sochi Olympics to high-five the “normalcy” of Russian expansionism, only to invade Crimea during the Paralympic Games. It is during times like this that soccer is more than a sport – it can serve as an international venue, a forum on world events – where fans can passionately cheer for their team while exuberantly showing support for their homeland.
In Olympics news, Serhiy Bubka announced on January 29 that he would challenge Sebastian Coe for the presidency of the IAAF. The challenge proved unsuccessful.
A shocker occurred in late November when boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko lost his four heavyweight titles to challenger Tyson Fury. Nonetheless there were many gold medals won, victories to celebrate and sporting events to commemorate during 2015.
Here’s our highlight package in sports, beginning with our sports writer’s annual The Ukrainian Weekly Sports Awards:
• Male Athlete of the Year – Oleg Verniaiev, gymnastics.
• Female Athlete of the Year – Anna Rizatdinova, rhythmic gymnastics.
• Coach of the Year – Serhiy Rebrov, Dynamo Kyiv.
• Team of the Year – Dynamo Kyiv, soccer.
Below, in alphabetical order by sports, is a listing of the top sports achievements of the year.
Ukraine’s women’s team won gold at the ARCHERY World Outdoor Championships in Denmark on August 1, their first ever outdoor victory.
Olesya Povkh won gold in the women’s 60-m race at the Russian Winter IAAF (International Association of ATHLETICS Federations) Indoor Meeting on February 1. Nataliya Pyhyda won gold in the women’s 400-m race on March 5-8 at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague. Alina Fyodorova won first place in the women’s shotput. Anna Mischenko won gold in the women’s 1,500-m race with a time of 4:0709 seconds. Olha Zemlyak won gold in the women’s 400-m race (52.13 seconds) at the AADrink FBK-Games in Hengelo, Netherlands, on May 24. Mischenko won gold in the women’s 1500-m race at the 2015 IAAF World Challenge in Beijing on May 20. Bohdan Bondarenko won gold in high jump (2:24 m) on May 26 at the 54th Ostrava Golden Spike event in the Czech Republic as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. Oleksiy Kasyanov won first place in the men’s long jump and discus throw at the TNTExpress Meeting in men’s decathlon on June 12-13 in Kladno, Czech Republic. Ukraine won 46 medals – eight of them gold – at the Baku 2015 European Games on June 12-28. Ukraine was represented by 241 athletes among 6,000 competitors from 50 nations. Ukraine won 31 medals (eight gold) at the 2015 Gwanju student youth games on July 3-14 in South Korea. Artistic gymnast Oleg Verniaiev won six medals (three gold) – the best total for any individual competitor. First place Ukrainian winners at the IAAF World Challenge Meeting in Italy on September 13 included Anastasia Tkachuk (800 m), Yulia Chumachenko (high jump) and Krystyna Hruskutyna (long jump).
Tampa Bay’s third baseman, Evan Longoria, Ukrainian on his mother Ellie’s side, is a true franchise player – the face of the BASEBALL Rays.
Kelly Olynyk shows lots of promise for the rebuilding Boston Celtics, while Alex Len proved himself worthy of a No. 5 overall National BASKETBALL Association draft pick in his second pro season.
Ukraine’s women’s relay BIATHLON team Juliya Dzhyma, Natalya Burgyda, Valj Semerenko and Iryna Varvynets) won first place in the 4×6-km relay at the IBU Open European championships on January 27-February 3. Anna Kryvonos, 17, won gold in the 10-km individual event at the Junior World Biathlon Championship in Belarus on February 18. Valentyna Semerenko won gold in the women’s 12.5-km mass start, finishing in 34:32.9 seconds at the World Championships in Finland on March 5-15. Varvynets won gold in the women’s 25-km sprint at the IBM Cup in Italy on December 10-13.
In BOXING, cruiserweight Alexander Usyk defeated Andrey Kayazev on April 18 in Kyiv when the challenger showed no more fight in him after seven punishing rounds. The win earned Usyk the WBO Intercontinental title. Wladimir Klitschko outpointed Bryant Jennings in the champion’s first U.S. fight in seven years, successfully defending his five heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision on April 25. The heavyweight title fight held in New York’s Madison Square Garden was almost as much about the Ukrainian fight against separatists/Russia as it was about boxing. Ukrainian flags, posters, chants and songs garnered much exposure in print, local and cable television, as well as social media. Featherweight WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko won by ninth-round KO against Gamaliaer Rodriguez on May 2 in Las Vegas, a bout more exciting than the hyped Mayweather-Pacquiao headliner fight. Usyk bested Johnny Muller in a 3-round TKO on August 29 in Kyiv to retain his WBO Intercontinental title. Viktor Postol won by KO against Lucas Martin Mtthysse on October 3 in Carson, Calif., winning the WBC super lightweight title. Welterweight Taras Shelestyuk won by unanimous decision against Aslanbek Kozaev on November 6 in Las Vegas. Shelestyuk holds the WBA, WBO and NABO welterweight titles. Lomachenko retained his featherweight title against Romulo Koasicha on November 7 in Las Vegas. In a shocking result, heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko was outpointed by Tyson Fury in Dusseldorf, Germany on November 28, losing his WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO titles. It was his first loss since April 2004. Usyk retained his cruiserweight title by 7th round TKO of Pedro Rodriguez in Cuba on December 12.
NOCU
WBO Intercontinental Title champion Oleksander Usyk sports a title belt after winning against Andrey Knyazev of Russia at the Sports Palace in Kyiv on April 18.
Dmytro Ianchuk and Taras Mishchuk won gold in the men’s 1,000-m CANOE sprint at the European Canoe Association Championships in the Czech Republic on May 1-3. A four-member Ukrainian team won first place in the men’s U-23 C-4 Canoe Sprint (500 m) at the International Canoe Federation’s Canoe Sprint Championships in Portugal on July 23-26. Ukraine’s junior competitors won seven medals (one gold) and the under-23 team won three medals (two gold). Liudmyla Luzan won first place in the junior women’s 500-m C-1 race.
Maria Muzychuk won the CHESS world championship in Sochi, Russia on April 5, earning the title of Grandmaster with a FIDE score of 2528. Nataliya Buksa, 19, won the World Junior U-20 Championships in Russia on September 1-16, finishing with 10 points in the final. Veronika Veremyuk, 8, won the European Chess Junior Championship in Croatia on September 20-October 1.
In CYCLING, Andrei Grivko raced in the 2015 Tour de France and continues to be outspoken in his support for his homeland’s ongoing conflict with the separatists and Russia.
Ukraine’s women’s saber team (Olga Kharlan, Alina Komashchuk, Olena Kravatska and Olga Zhovnir ) won first place at the World Cup in Athens on February 2. Kharlan won first place at the Moscow Saber Grand Prix on May 29-31 in Moscow. Kharlan won first place in the women’s saber event at the FENCING Grand Prix in South Korea on March 28. Ukraine’s women’s saber team (Kharlan, Olena Voronina, Kravatska and Halyna Pundyk) won the World Cup of Fencing in Orleans, France, on November 1. Ukraine’s junior men’s epee team won gold at the World Cup team challenge in Slovakia on November 28.
GYMNASTICS saw Oleh Verniaiev win first place in the AT&T American Cup on March 7 with a score of 90.597 pts., including first place in parallel bars. Verniaiev won gold at the 2015 World Challenge Cup final in Slovenia on April 3-5. Rhythmic gymnast Anna Rizatdinova won gold in Padna, Italy, on December 5. Angelina Kysla and Verniaiev won first place in the combined team event at the Swiss Cup in Zurich on November 8. Verniaiev won first place in the men’s all-around (four events) at the 32nd Arthur Gander Memorial tournament in Switzerland on November 4.
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame
A young Terry Sawchuk
Look for Jayce Hawryluk on the Florida Panthers’ roster in the National HOCKEY League in 2016-17 after he completes his goal-filled juniors career. Two-time Stanley Cup champion Ruslan Fedotenko fled the KHL to sign with Minnesota’s AHL affiliate, Iowa Wild, in hopes of returning to the NHL. Curtis Lazar (Ottawa), Hunter Shinkaruk (Vancouver) and Morgan Klimchuk (Calgary) were three young Ukrainians selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL draft. Arguably the best goaltender ever to play in the NHL, Terry Sawchuk, is having his story told in the form of a movie being produced by Winnipeg-native Danny Schur. Goalie Devan Dubnyk’s resurgence led to a new, six-year $25 million contract with Minnesota. The Islanders rewarded Johnny Boychuk with a seven-year, $42 million deal in mid-March.
In JUDO, Svitlana Iaromka won first place in the over-78 kg. division at the European Open in Bulgaria on February 7-8. Iaromka won gold at the Judo Grand Slam in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 8-10. Maryna Cherniak (48 kg) won gold at the Judo Grand Prix in Georgia on March 20-22. Iakiv Khammo (+100 kg) and Georgii Zantaraia (66 kg) won gold medals in their weight divisions at the International Judo Federation Grand Prix in Zagreb, Croatia, on May 1-3. Daria Bilodid (44 kg) won a gold medal at the Cadet European Judo Championship in Bulgaria on July 3-5. Ukraine’s junior judo won seven medals (two gold) at the Junior European Judo Cup in Poland on July 18-19. Asim Mameidov (60 kg) and Sergei Zvieriev (100 kg) won the gold medals. At the Junior European Judo Cup in Prague on July 25-26, Artem Khomula (73 kg), Rezo Mesablishvili (81 kg) and Sergei Zvieriev won gold medals. Daria Bilodid (44 kg) won gold at the World Cadet Championships in Sarajevo on August 5-9. Oleksandr Kosinov, Nataliya Nikolaychuk, Inna Cherniak and Iryna Husiova won gold at the International Blind Sports Association Judo Euro Championships on November 27-28 in Portugal.
Oleksandr Yeremenko won a fifth title in the 90 kg division at the 29th Kyokushin KARATE European Championship on May 9 in Berlin.
Olena Shurkhuo and Vitaly Skatar won the Macao Galaxy International MARATHON in China on December 6. Eldar Ismailov (-90 kg) won his third title at the competition. Three athletes from Ukraine (Ruslan Kramariuk, Sergii Vaskurin and Ivan Heshko) won gold medals at a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, marathon event on May 31.
Victor Mihalchan won three gold medals and one silver medal at the Chinese MARTIAL ARTS Tournament 2015 in San Francisco. Two of his students also won gold and silver medals. Mihalchan won the top spot in the overall competition.
Olena Kostevyck won gold in the women’s 10-m air pistol event at the European SHOOTING Championship on March 2-8. Ihor Kizyma, Volodymyr Strutskyi and Dmytro Melnyk won gold in the 10-m running target men’s junior team shooting event.
Oleksandr Abramenko won the Freestyle SKIING World Cup in Minsk on March 3, scoring 117.70 + 122.62 points.
Andriy Pavelko was selected the new president of Ukraine’s Football Federation on March 6, getting 122 out of 137 votes. Two Ukrainian SOCCER clubs, Dynamo Kyiv and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League in March after winning in the round of 16. Dnipro defeated Napoli 1-0 in a semifinal on May 14 to advance to the final against Seville, only to come up short, 3-2, on May 26 in Warsaw. Dynamo Kyiv topped the Ukrainian Premier League standings joining Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Zorya Luhansk earned entry into the Europa League. Dynamo Kyiv defeated Shakhtar Donetsk, 5-4, in penalty kicks in the Ukraine Cup final on June 5 in Kyiv. Mariupol’s soccer club was seeking a new name due to Ukraine’s ban on Soviet symbols. Illichivets Mariupol got its name from Illich, a steelworks sponsor named after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Serhiy Rebrov’s personal coaching style worked miracles as Dynamo Kyiv’s new coach led his club to its 14th Ukrainian title, ending the five-year dominance of Shakhtar Donetsk. Ukraine’s national team advanced to the Euro 2016 soccer championship upon eliminating Slovenia 3-1 on aggregate goals. Ukraine defeated Slovenia 2-0 on November 14 and tied 1-1 on November 17. Ukraine drew Group C with Germany, Northern Ireland and Poland. Ukraine’s Under-17 team qualified for the U-17 Euro 2016, finishing in first place (Group 13) with two wins, one draw, no losses, with six goals for and one against.
Countless organizations called on the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to revoke its award of the 2018 World Cup tournament to the Russian Federation. Reasons cited include invasion and occupation of Crimea, sponsoring terrorist organizations in eastern Ukraine and criminal mismanagement/money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 Football World Cup. Soccer clubs from Donetsk, Luhansk and Mariupol have been dislodged and relocated because of the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Shakhtar’s players are living and practicing in Kyiv, while playing home matches in Lviv. Crimea’s soccer clubs’ status with UEFA has been in limbo since Russia’s forced annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014. The Russian Football Union was banned from incorporating Crimean clubs into its competitions by UEFA. Crimea was designated a “special zone for football purposes.”
Ukraina, a boys’ under-12 team from Ukraine, won the Chicago KICS Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament held on July 19-26.
At the 2015 FINA Masters in Kazan, Russia on August 5-16, Georgiy Chizhevskiy took first place in the 200-m breaststroke. Mykhailo Romanchuk won first in the men’s 1,550-m freestyle race at the 2015 World SWIMMING Championships in Qatar on November 2-3.
Elina Svitolina, a rising star in women’s TENNIS, was only the second-ever teenager to win multiple WTA titles with her repeat victory in Baku. Lesia Tsurenko defeated Urszula Radwanska 7-5, 6-1 to win the Paribas Istanbul Cup on July 19-26 claiming the first WTA Tour title of her career.
Yulia Yelistratova won first place in the elite women’s division at the 2015 Alanya ITU TRIATHLON World Cup on October 17 in Turkey.
Ukraine won the most medals (8G, 3S, 1B) at the European WEIGHTLIFTING Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia on April 10-18. Yulia Paratova and Yulia Kalyna each won three gold medals, while Oleg Proshak won two gold and a bronze. Alina Shevkoplyas (63 kg) and Dmytro Sukhotskyi (50 kg) won gold in the U-17 division at the European Weightlifting Championships in Sweden on August 1-8.
Diaspora sports
In diaspora sports news Chornomorska Sitch Ukrainian Athletic Educational Association had celebrated its 90th anniversary with a gala banquet on November 15, 2014, in Whippany, N.J. The jubilee was highlighted in the 51st edition of Sitch’s annual journal, Our Sport.
Tryzub Ukrainian American Sport Center sponsored travel expenses of two skiers and the ground transport for Ukraine’s six-member Alpine Ski team, allowing them to compete at the World Championships in Colorado on February 2-16.
Ukraine’s Alpine skiers (from left) Dmytro Mytsak, Olha Knysh, Rostyslav Feshchuk, Tetyana Tikun, Ivan Kovbasnyuk and Bogdana Matsotska.
The 61st annual ski races of the Carpathian Ski Club were held in Hunter, N.Y., on March 7 with 81 racers from pre-schoolers to seniors running the NASTAR course.
May 16 saw the Ukrainian Nationals (Tryzub) Rangers 11-13 boys soccer squad capture the NCS Eastern Pennsylvania State Cup. The team allowed one lone goal in four matches. On May 22-24, Tryzub hosted its 14th annual Ukrainian Nationals Soccer Tournament with youth teams from six states and Canada entering the competition.
Chornomorska Sitch won first place at the 2015 Steven Howansky Memorial Soccer Tournament held in Yonkers on June 20-21. Chicago soccer club FC Connection won the 2015 Great Lakes Cup tournament held on June 27-28 in Brighton, Mich. – its fourth overall tourney victory.
FC Connection, champions of the Great Lakes Cup soccer tournament.
The Special Olympics Ukraine delegation to the 2015 World Games was limited to eight athletes and five coaches/administrators. The Los Angeles Ukrainian American community welcomed them upon arrival for the July 25-August 2 competition.
Ukrainian American water polo player Raisa Ihnat, 13 ½, participated in the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics held in California on July 30-August 2.
The fourth annual Ukrainian Sports Federation of U.S.A. and Canada (USCAK) National Beach Volleyball Tournament was held on a sunny Friday, August 28, during “Ukrainian Week” in Wildwood, N.J. The final was between two very competitive and talented teams, “Old Style Lite” and “Sitch – Moutai.” with “Old Style Lite” prevailing.
Swimmers from Chornomorska Sitch and the Ukrainian American Youth Association competed at USCAK’s annual swimming championships over Labor Day weekend at the Soyuzivka Heritage Center.
Mykola Stroynick defeated Marko Krasij in the men’s finals at Soyuzivka in the highlight match of the 60th USCAK National Tennis Tournament during Labor Day weekend.
The Ukrainian American Youth Association’s team from Passaic, N.J., won the six-team USCAK Indoor Invitational Volleyball Tournament held on November 21 in Whippany, N.J.
2015 USCAK Beach Volleyball Finalists “Sitch – Moutai” (second to fifth from left) and 2015 USCAK Beach Volleyball Champions “Old Style Lite” (second to fifth from right) with USCAK tournament organizers.