The 2016 sports year was an internationally competitive one with Ukraine an active participant on the world stage. After a dreadful performance at soccer’s 2016 Euro Cup and a disappointing result at the Rio Summer Olympic Games, Ukraine demonstrated it is a world leader in Paralympic sports.
Mickey Williams/Top Rank
Vasyl Lomachenko (right) displays his high-tech skills against Nicholas Walters of Jamaica at the Cosmopolitan arena in Las Vegas on November 26 to retain his WBO junior lightweight title.
Three straight losses on the pitch in a somewhat challenging grouping with Poland, Germany and Northern Ireland cost national coach Mykhailo Fomenko his job. Ukraine continued its downward trend of medaling at the Summer Olympics, where Oleh Vernyayev was a rare celebrated podium presence. Expectations for Ukraine were still high heading into the third international contest and this time the nation exceeded them with an unbelievable third overall showing at the Rio Paralympic Games. Ukraine won 117 medals at the Paralympics, including 41 gold and 37 silver. On the heels of winning 84 medals and placing fourth overall in 2012, Ukraine firmly established itself as a Paralympics power. Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko solidified himself as a boxing champion by winning and defending the WBO junior lightweight title. Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina shocked the world when she defeated American champion Serena Williams in round of 16 Olympics tennis. In a sign of the times, the Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastics, five-a-side ultimate fighting and biathlon teams boycotted scheduled competitions held in Russia – the Moscow Grand Prix (February 19-21) and the Alina Cup (February 19-20).
The Ukrainian Weekly’s sports correspondent’s annual sports awards for 2016:
• Most Outstanding Male Athlete – Maksym Krypak, Paralympic swimming.
• Most Outstanding Female Athlete – Hanna Rizatdinova, rhythmic gymnastics.
• Most Outstanding Coach – Hennadiy Vdovychenko, Paralympic swimming team.
• Rookie of the Year – Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues.
• Team of the Year – Ukraine Paralympic Swimming Team.
NOC.Ukr.org
Inna Cherniak, a judoka who was the first female to win Ukraine’s first gold medal, at the Rio Paralympic Games in September.
Here comes our annual highlight package of the year’s top performances in sporting competitions and a recap of Ukrainian sports headlines from around the globe and our diaspora.
Eight all-star teams competed at the 17th Little League tournament in Kremenets, Ukraine, at the end of May with Kremenets beating Rivne 7-1 in the June 1 final. Ukraine won its first European Under-21 BASEBALL Championship on August 1-4 in Tel Aviv, Israel, after defeating Russia 7-5. The ninth Ukraine Little League Championships for orphans and invited New Programs was played in Kremenets, Ternopil Oblast in late September.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk enrolled at the University of Kansas to play BASKETBALL at one of the NCAA’s most storied college hoops programs in hopes of an NBA career. Alex Len of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns enjoyed a breakthrough second half of the 2015-2016 season when he averaged 12.5 points and 10 rebounds per game, making himself a valuable contributor to a rebuilding squad and setting himself up for a most lucrative second contract.
NOC.Ukr.org
Roman Danyliuk, who won Ukraine’s first medal at the Rio Summer Paralympic Games – a bronze in shotput.
Ukraine’s women’s BIATHLON team (Iryna Varvynets, Yuliia Dzhima, Valj Semerenko + Olena Pidhrushna) won gold at the BMW Biathlon World Cup 5 in Germany on January 10-17. Ukraine’s mixed relay team (Yuliya Zhuravok, Nadiia Bielkina, Andriy Dotsenko + Artem Pryma) won gold at the IBU Cup Biathlon 5 in Italy on January 13-17. Ukraine’s mixed relay team (Bielkina, Yana Bondar, Ruslan Tkalenko + Dmytro Rusynov) won gold at the IBU Cup Biathlon 6 in Aber, Germany, on January 20-23. Ukraine’s single mixed relay team (Anastasiya Merkushyna + Artem Tyshchenko) won gold with a 41:50.9 time. Pidhrushna won gold in the women’s 7.5-km sprint race at the BMW IBU World Cup 7 on February 3-7 in Alberta, Canada. Bielkina won first place in the women’s 7.5-km sprint at the IBU Cup Biathlon 8 in Italy on March 9-13. Merkushyna won gold in the women’s junior 12.5-km race at the IBU Junior Open European Championships in Slovenia on March 16-20.
NOC.Ukr.org
Ievgenii Bogodaiko, who won Ukraine’s first gold medal at the Rio Summer Paralympic Games in the 100-meter backstroke.
April 23 in Kyiv saw featherweight Oleg Malinovsky defeat Russian Ruslan Berchuk for the WBO European title. On May 6 in Odesa, heavyweight Andrey Rudenko bested Mike Mello (USA) for the vacant WBC International Silver Heavyweight title. Bantamweight Oleksandr Yehorov won a unanimous decision over Andrey Isael of Belarus in mid-May, claiming the vacant World BOXING Association Continental title. Featherweight Oleg Yefimovych won by third-round KO versus Eugene Sorin Tanasic of Romania for the WBA Continental title. Cruiserweight Dmytro Kucher claimed the EOU title with a first-round TKO of Enzo Maccarinelli in London on June 10. Junior lightweight Vasyl Lomachenko added the WBO title to his collection after a fifth-round KO of Roman Martinez on June 11 at Madison Square Garden. Oleksandr Usyk won a unanimous decision over Krystof Glowacki of Poland on September 17 to win the WBO cruiserweight title. Lomachenko retained his WBO junior lightweight title against Nicholas Walters of Jamaica on November 26 in Las Vegas. The seven-round TKO saw the southpaw Lomachenko land 33 percent of his punches. WBC champion Francisco Vargas may be his next bout.
NOC.Ukr.org
Ruslan Katyushev, who won bronze in the men’s long jump, was Ukraine’s second medalist at the Rio Summer Paralympic Games.
Hanna Ushenina won gold in the European Women’s CHESS Championship held on May 26-June 3 in Romania.
In CYCLING, Natalia Krompets won the Portugal Cup race in Viana-du-Kashtel on March 17 with a time of 1:25:02 seconds. Ukraine’s women’s saber team (Kharlan, Komashchuck, Kravatska + Voronina) won 45-44 in the final against Russia at the World Cup of FENCING competition in Athens on January 31. Olha Kharlan won first place in the women’s individual saber event at the Yves Brasseur World Cup on February 19-21 in Belgium. Dimitri Karinchenko (U-23) won gold in saber at the 2016 junior fencing championships on March 12 in Poland. Bohdan Nikishin won gold in the Rio Grand Prix men’s epee event on April 22 in Rio de Janeiro. Kharlan won another gold in the women’s saber event at the Foshan World Cup on May 13-15 in Foshan, China. Ukraine won first place in the team event Challenge SNOF Reseau in Paris on May 22. Olha Kharlan won the Moscow Grand Prix in women’s saber on May 28.
NOC.Ukr.org
Serhii Yemelianov won gold in the men’s canoe sprint (KL3) 200-meter race with a time of 39.810 seconds at the Rio Summer Paralympic Games.
Hanna Rizatdinova won five gold medals (senior individual all-around, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon) at the Miss Valentine 2016 Competition on February 11-14 in Estonia. Rizatdinova won two first-place medals in the senior hoop and ribbon events at the Rhythmic GYMNASTICS World Cup in Espoo, Finland, on February 26-28. Ukraine’s Krystym Pohranychna and Olena Diachenko won first place in the junior individual team final at the 2016 Aphrodite Cup on March 11-13 in Athens. Oleh Vernyayev won gold in the men’s vault and horizontal bar at the Gymworld Challenge Cup Turnier der Meister in Germany on March 31-April 3. Ihor Radivilov won gold in men’s rings. Rizatdinova won two golds and a silver at the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup on April 1-3 in Italy and gold at the women’s International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament in France on May 6-8, earning first place in hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon, all-around and seniors finals. Ukraine won five gold medals at the 2016 World Challenge Cup in Bulgaria on May 13-15. Vernyayev won gold in men’s parallel bars, pommel horse and floor exercise. Radivilov took gold in rings and vault. Yana Fedorova won gold in the women’s vault at the Gym Festival 2016 in Slovakia on May 15. Rizatdinova won a gold medal in hoop at the 2016 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Bulgaria on May 27-29 and gold medals in hoop and clubs, while team Ukraine won gold in the two hoops and six clubs event at the 2016 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup series event in Berlin on July 1-3.
Ukraine’s seven-a-side men’s soccer team won the gold medal at the Summer Paralympic Games in Rio. Pictured left are: Oleh Len, Edhar Kahramanian, Volodymyr Antoniu and Vitalii Romanchuk. Pictured right are: Kostiantyn Symashko, Vitaliy Trushchev and Taras Dudko.
Three young budding Ukrainian players in the National HOCKEY League, among many, included Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk, Toronto’s Dmytro Timashov and new Flames prospect Hunter Shinakruk. The first was waiting to be drafted, the second was awaiting a call-up from the minors and the third was recently traded. Colton Parayko, “the Uke with the nuke,” surprisingly stuck with the St. Louis Blues after his recall from Chicago (AHL), making a huge impact on the team’s blueline and garnering serious support for Rookie of the Year. Tom Lysiak, 63, an NHL All-Star and 13-year veteran, passed away on May 30 after battling leukemia. He scored 292 goals and 551 assists in 919 career games. Three Ukrainians were selected in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, all sons of ex-NHLers. Matthew Tkachuk (No. 6), Jakob Chychrun (No. 6) and Kieffer Bellows (No. 19) were selected by Calgary, Arizona and New York Islanders, respectively. Defenseman Mark Pysyk was traded by Buffalo to Florida, Lee Stempniak signed with Carolina, and Dave Schlemko cashed in on a new deal with San Jose. Kyle Brodziak stayed in St. Louis, while Jordin Tootoo hooked up with the Blackhawks. Two-time Stanley Cup champion Ruslan Fedotenko announced his retirement from professional hockey at the age of 37 on October 11.
www.2014paralympic.org.ua
Iaroslav Denysenko (100-meter backstroke) and Viktoriia Savtsova (100-meter freestyle) celebrate winning silver medals at the Rio Summer Paralympic Games.
Ukraine announced plans to send a team of athletes to the 2017 INVICTUS GAMES in Toronto on September 24-30, 2017, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress announced in late September. The Invictus Games are an international sports competition in which wounded, ill and injured military personnel and veterans take part. The UCC is partnering with Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sport under the action plan of the Ukrainian World Congress, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and the National Committee for Paralympic Sports. The first meeting of the UCC Invictus Games Organizing Committee took place in Toronto on November 10 with a call for some 1,500 volunteers to join the community efforts to support Team Ukraine’s participation in the games.
NOC.Ukr.org
Saber fencer Olha Kharlan serves as flag-bearer for Ukraine during the closing ceremonies of the Rio Summer Olympic Games in August.
Artem Bloshenko (100 kg) won gold at the JUDO Grand Prix Havana 2016 on February 8. Iakiv Khammo (+100 kg) won gold in the men’s division at the Judo Grand Prix in Dusseldorf, Germany, on February 19-21. At the Judo Grand Prix in Hungary on June 25-26, Stanislav Bondarenko (+100 kg) won gold. Dmytro Kanivets (73 kg) won gold at the Judo Grand Prix in Croatia on September 23-25.
NOC.Ukr.org
Serhiy Kulish, silver medalist in the 10-meter air pistol at the Rio Summer Olympic Games in August.
Ukraine won 11 medals (two gold, five silver and four bronze) at the 2016 Rio OLYMPICS. Gymnast Oleh Vernyayev and fencer Olha Kharlan each earned a pair of medals – Vernyayev a gold in parallel bars and silver in men’s artistic all-around routine, Kharlan a bronze in women’s saber and silver in women’s team saber event. Canoeist Yuriy Cheban surprised the competition with a gold medal in the men’s 200-meter sprint. Other silver medalists included Serhiy Kulish (rifle shooting), Zhan Beleniuk (Greco-Roman wrestling) and Pavlo Tymoshchenko (modern pentathlon). Ukraine won 18 medals in 2012, 27 medals in 2008 and 22 medals in 2004. The ongoing war in eastern Ukraine and the nation’s struggling economy are factors in the downward trend of medal victories. Recruiting and developing world-class athletes requires elite facilities, equipment and coaching staffs – a commitment Ukraine is incapable of making at the current time.
Ukraine’s Paralympic swim team won 110 medals (45 gold) at the European Swimming Championship in Portugal on April 30-May 7. Thirty-five out of 45 athletes were medal winners. Ukraine set 10 records and surpassed rival Russia for the first time in several years. It is worth repeating: Ukraine is a PARALYMPICS power! With 117 total medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio, behind only China and Great Britain, it was a second successive worldly demonstration of Paralympic prominence. Swimming (74 medals) was Ukraine’s sport of expertise, with Maksym Krypak’s outstanding achievement of four gold and two silver individual medals, plus two additional medals in relay victories. Yelyzaveta Mereshko was top female performer with four gold medals in swimming and another in relay. Denis Dubrov (two gold, two silver, two bronze) and Ievgenii Bogodaiko (three gold, two silver, one bronze) each captured six individual swimming medals and two additional relay medals. Yehor Dementyev (two golds) was a force in both road and track cycling, while Ukraine proved most competitive in athletics with a total of 19 medals. Valeriy Sushkevych gets credit for his country’s Paralympics success. The president of the National Paralympic Committee developed a training program called Invasport, which works by having schools and facilities dedicated to Paralympic sports in every Ukrainian oblast. The goal is to set up the best system possible of physical education, sports and rehabilitation for people with disabilities.
NOC.Ukr.org
Saber fencer Olena Kharlan celebrates her bronze medal at the Rio Summer Olympic Games in August.
In the first of two warm-ups for the 2016 Euro Cup, Ukraine defeated Cyprus 1-0 in Odesa on March 24 and outkicked Wales 1-0 in Kyiv on March 28. One of Ukraine’s most talented SOCCER players, Andriy Yarmolenko, held out hope for a promotion to the English Premier League. Andriy Shevchenko joined Ukraine’s national team coaching staff ahead of Euro 2016, replacing assistant Olexandr Zavanov in mid-February. Ukraine defeated Romania, 4-3, on May 29 and beat Albania 3-1 on June 3 in two final friendly matches before Euro Cup 2016. Germany and Ukraine served up high levels of technical ability and plenty of drama in their 2016 Euro Cup opener on June 12. Goals by Mustafi and Schweinsteiger allowed the Germans to survive several scares and defeat Ukraine 2-0. Ukraine lost its second Euro Cup match to Northern Ireland 0-2 on June 15, effectively earning the dubious distinction of being the first of 24 participating nations to be eliminated from the tourney. Poland’s 1-0 victory in the final contest left Ukraine with zero points, five goals against and zero goals for after three matches. The Dynamo-Shakhtar conflict, coaching strategies, lack of talent, a lack of competitive spirit and the two-year battle with Russia-backed separatists all factored into Ukraine’s dismal showing at the 2016 Euro Cup. Dnipro midfielder Roman Bezus, 25, a Ukrainian national team member, signed a one-year deal with Belgian club St. Trudien on July 12. Shevchenko was promoted to head coach of the men’s national team on July 15 in a unanimous vote, replacing Mykhailo Fomenko, who resigned following his club’s failure in the 2016 Euro Cup.
NOC.Ukr.org
Olympic champion canoeist Yuriy Cheban
Ukraine’s team won eight medals (three gold) at the 2016 SUMO WRESTLING World Championships in Mongolia on July 28. Alina Boikova (65 kg), Maryna Maksymenko (80 g) and junior Kateryna Kolesnyk (60 kg) were gold medal winners.
Ukraine won 20 medals (five gold) at the European Aquatics Championships in London on May 9-22. Illya Kvasha, Yulia Prokopchuk, Maksym Dolhov won gold medals. Ukraine’s synchronized SWIMMING free routine team won gold. Andriy Hovorov won two gold medals at the French open European Swimming Championships in Vichy, France, on July 2-3.
NOC.Ukr.org
Olympic champion gymnast Oleh Vernyayev
Sofia Khobtar won gold in the women’s (51 kg) division of women’s cadets, and Dmytro Meshchuk (57 kg) won gold in the men’s cadets at the Turkey Open TAEKWONDO tournament on February 14-17 in Istanbul.
In TENNIS, Elina Svitolina won the BMW Malaysian Open on February 29-March 6 after defeating Eugenie Bouchard, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5) in the finals. Sergey Stakhovsky won the ATP Challenger Tour event in Seoul, South Korea, on May 9-15 after topping Yen-HsunLu of Chinese Taipei in the final. Illya Marchenko won the Guzzini Challenger tournament in Recanati, Italy, on July 18-24, beating Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka in the final. Lesia Tsurenko and Kateryna Bondarenko have both trended upward in the WTA rankings based on their recent tournament play. Add in top-20 ranked Elina Svitolina and it is obvious women rule the Ukrainian professional tennis world these days. Tsurenko won the WTA tournament in Guangzhai, China, on September 19, after defeating Jelena Jankovic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the final match.
NOC.Ukr.org
Zhan Beleniuk, silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, at the Rio Summer Olympic Games in August
Natalia Strohova won the 60-meter sprint at the 4th Martin Kutman Memorial TRACK AND FIELD tournament in Estonia. Olha Kotovska won first place in the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Races on March 18-20. Nataliya Pryshehepa won gold in the women’s 800-meter race at the European Athletics Championship in Amsterdam on July 6-10.
Ukraine’s athletes swept the podium positions at the European Aquathlon (TRIATHLON) Championships in France on June 25-26 in the elite men’s category. Oleksiy Syutkin won gold in the combo run (swim/swim/run) event.
Ukraine won 11 medals (six gold) at the European WEIGHTLIFTING Championships in Forde, Norway, on April 8-16. Iryna Dekha (75 kg) won three gold medals, Yulia Paratova (53 kg) won one gold and Oleksandr Pielieshenko (85 kg + 204 kg) won two golds.
NOC.Ukr.org
High-jumper Bohdan Bondarenko, bronze medalist at the Rio Summer Olympic Games in August.
Three Ukrainian freestyle wrestlers – Andriy Kviatkovsky, Olena Zasayeva and Oksana Herhel tested positive for a banned substance, meldonium. Zhan Beleniuk (85 kg, Greco-Roman) won gold at the 2016 European WRESTLING Championships in Riga, Latvia, where Ukraine’s women’s freestyle team also won first place.
Khrystyna Dmytrenko won gold in the women’s 7.5-km biathlon at the fourth YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES on February 12-21 in Norway.
A team of Ukrainian wounded warriors participated in the 41st U.S. MARINE CORPS MARATHON on October 30 in Washington. Nine Ukrainian soldiers dedicated their run to all Ukrainian military personnel who lost their lives or health while combating Russian aggression against Ukraine.
NOC.Ukr.org
The silver medal-winning women’s saber team – Olha Kharlan, Alina Komashchuk, Olena Kravatska and Olena Voronina – at the Rio Summer Olympic Games in August.
In DIASPORA sports news, Ukrainian American soccer club FC Connection finished in second place in the First Division Indoor standings of the MSL of Chicago. The New York Kozaks won the inaugural “Alexander Cup” USCAK hockey tournament in Newark, N.J., on February 13, besting two Ukrainian Canadian hockey clubs and the N.Y./N.J. Kings. On February 13, the Yonkers Krylati U-14 boys team won the Armonk Winter Indoor soccer tournament.
www.mil.gov.ua
Wounded warriors from Ukraine (from left, front row): Vadym Maznichenko, Vadym Sviridenko; (back row) Natalia Melnychenko, Dmytro Fesenko, Kateryna Mashko and Volodymyr Havrylov during the 41st U.S. Marine Corps Marathon on October 30 in Washington.
Valentine’s Day was the date of the third annual Ukrainian Heritage Day with the New Jersey Devils, when fans attending a hockey game witnessed a Ukrainian festival. Ukrainian dance groups and soloists performed while two wounded Ukrainian warriors were presented as “Heroes of the Game” during the second period of the game, won by New Jersey 1-0 against the Los Angeles Kings.
Eighty-four skiers from preschoolers to seniors competed in the 62nd annual ski races of the Carpathian Ski Club (KLK) held at Hunter Mountain on February 27. Chornomorska Sitch held a spring soccer tournament for youths age 7-12 in Whippany, N.J. Fifteen boys competed in the five-a-side, round-robin competition, showing off skills developed at Sitch-led soccer sessions. Memorial Day weekend saw the Ukrainian American Sport Center Tryzub host its 15th annual Ukrainian Nationals Soccer Tournament. Youth from six mid-Atlantic states and Toronto competed in several age brackets. The annual Soyuzivka-USCAK tennis camp was held on June 19-30 at Soyuzivka. George Sawchak was honored for 50 years of service and dedication to the camp.
Chornomorska Sitch won 2-1 in the final against Krylati Carmel at the 2016 Steven Howansky Memorial Soccer Tournament on June 18 held in Yonkers with seven participating teams. The fifth annual USCAK National Beach Volleyball Tournament was played on August 26 in Wildwood Crest, N.J. with eight teams battling it out. “Sets on the Beach” prevailed as champions, with Marko Bobriwnyk winning MVP honors. Eighty-eight golfers from six states competed in Tryzub’s 40th annual golf outing at Tryzubivka in Horsham, Pa.
Stefan Slutsky
Members of the Ukrainian Running Club New York, organizers of the Vyshyvanka Run, on August 28 in New York’s Central Park.
Nearly 100 participants, most dressed in Ukrainian-themed attire, took part in runs/walk on August 28 in New York’s Central Park in an event entitled “Vyshyvanka Run,” hosted by the Ukrainian Running Club New York. USCAK’s 61st National Tennis Championships took place at Soyuzivka over Labor Day weekend. Players from 11 states took to the courts with Marko Krasij besting Mykola Stroynick in men’s and Lesia Bilak Schinnerer topping Nastya Koval in women’s competition. Yonkers, N.Y.’s Krylati Sports Club, a member of the Eastern District Soccer League’s Open division, won the “treble” in 2015-2016 when the club captured the regular season championship, the league playoff and the league cup.
Christina Bytz
Myron Bytz (left) of the Ukrainian Sports Museum during its grand opening at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey in Whippany on September 18. Joining the ribbon-cutting were Ken Daneyko of the N.J. Devils, Whippany Mayor Ron Francioli and Ihor Laszok of the Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union.
September 17 saw the formal opening of the Ukrainian Sports Museum and Hall of Fame at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey in Whippany, thanks to much dedicated effort by Myron Bytz. Some 180 guests attended the gala event which included the inaugural induction of 51 sports persons into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame. Master of ceremonies for the evening was The Weekly’s sports correspondent, Ihor Stelmach, and ex-New Jersey Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko (who is 100 percent Ukrainian) was the keynote speaker. On October 20, hockey great Wayne Gretzky was captured in a photo accepting his induction plaque and gifts from the Ukrainian Sports Museum and Hall of Fame at the NHL store in New York City. Museum curator Theodore Bodnar made the presentation, which coincided with the “Great One’s” book tour stop.