Sports

Ukraine wins 11 medals at Rio, finishes in 22nd place in medals count

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The United States led the way with 121 medals won at the 2016 Rio Olympics. China (70), Great Britain (67) and Russia (56) rounded out the top four. Next were Germany, France, Japan, Australia and Italy. Ukraine ranked 22nd out of 207 participating nations, finishing amid countries like Poland, Jamaica, Cuba and Uzbekistan. This year’s total of 11 medals (two gold, five silver and four bronze) is down from 2012’s haul of 18, 2008’s total of 27 medals and 2004’s sum of 22 medals.

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THE SUMMER OLYMPICS: Ukraine ready to compete in Rio

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The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 5-21 will be Ukraine’s sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era. In London at the 2012 Olympics, Ukraine won a total of 20 medals (six gold, five silver and nine bronze) – its lowest in Summer Olympic history since the country’s debut in 1996. Five of the medals were won in boxing, three each in athletics and sprint canoeing, and two each in fencing, shooting and weightlifting. Ukraine is sending 203 athletes competing in 22 sporting disciplines to Rio – 35 less athletes than four years prior in London. Athletics (65), gymnastics (13), wrestling (11) and fencing (11) are the sports with the most participants.

Sports

Ukrainian pro sports update: tennis

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Women rule the professional Ukrainian tennis world these days with a whopping 40 ladies listed in the current WTA rankings list. The men’s side totals four noted Ukrainians with Alexandr Dolgopolov holding strong (No. 37) and Sergiy Stakhovsky free-falling down the rankings to No. 85. Ilya Marchenko of Ukraine (No.

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Second loss mathematically eliminates Ukraine from Euro 2016

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Any optimism Ukraine’s national soccer team may have had following its 2-0 defeat by Germany in its Euro Cup opener quickly evaporated after a second 2-0 loss at the feet of Northern Ireland on June 15 in Lyon, France. New assistant coach Andriy Shevchenko’s “mission possible” to qualify from Group C and achieve better results than in 2012 were rendered null and void, similar to his squad’s performance on the pitch. This was a performance that mismanaged Ukraine into the dubious distinction of being the first of 24 participating nations to be eliminated from the tournament. Northern Ireland’s victory – its first in a major competition in 34 years – combined with the later 0-0 draw between Germany and Poland left Ukraine unable to advance from its group. Building on a strong finish to the first half, Northern Ireland center back Gareth McAuley put his team ahead with a header from an Oliver Norwood free kick in the 49th minute.

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Ukraine drops Euro Cup to Poland with 0-1 loss

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Poland got off to an aggressive start, missing two chances to take the lead inside the opening five minutes of the final Group C match played on June 21 at Stade Veladrome in Marseille, France. Arkadiusz Milik broke down the left side into the penalty area, but his blast was caught by goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov. Moments later, star striker Robert Lewandowski side-footed from close range after a low cross from the left found him in the penalty area. Already eliminated Ukraine struck back when Andriy Yarmolenko delivered a cross that had Poland keeper Lukasz Fabianski flapping before it was cleared. As Poland found itself backpedaling, Yevhen Konoplyanka made a fine run to set up Roman Zozulya, who was denied by a last-ditch block by Michal Pazdan.

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Ukraine remains optimistic despite loss to Germany

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Germany and Ukraine served up a most entertaining match with high levels of technical ability and plenty of drama in their 2016 Euro Cup opener played on June 12. Stand-in center back Shkodran Mustafi headed his first goal and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger scored in stoppage time as the world champions survived several scares to beat Ukraine 2-0 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, France. Mustafi, starting in the absence of Mats Hummels, rifled home a header at 19 minutes to give Germany the lead, which was not extended until Schweinsteiger, a 90th minute substitute, swept one home from close range. Germany, bidding for a fourth Euro title, though its first since 1996, dominated possession, but had to rely on three challenging saves from renowned keeper Manuel Neuer and a goal-line clearance by Jerome Boateng to defeat the pesky Ukrainian squad. Ukraine, playing in its second European Championship, harried its opponents with hustle and tight defense, offering the Germans few clear sights of the goal.

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Ukraine wins two more friendly matches

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In the first of two Euro Cup 2016 warm-up friendly matches on May 29, Ukraine defeated Romania, 4-3, in Turin, Italy. This was Romania’s first loss since June 2014 and Mykhaylo Fomenko’s national team showed it should not be taken lightly after scoring four goals in a mere 15 minutes. This offensive outburst came against a team that had surrendered only two goals in its Euro qualifying schedule. Ukraine got off to a quick start, although Romania scored first at 24 minutes with Gabriel Torje scoring on an assist by Bogdan Stancu. Shakhtar’s Vyacheslav Shevchuk managed several dangerous shots by the end of the first half, and at 44 minutes Roman Zozulya captured a Shevchuk pass, only to fire it home from in close to tie the match at 1-1.

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Ukraine at Euro 2016: Mission possible

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Few soccer pundits see Ukraine qualifying in Group C of the expanded 24-team 2016 European Championship being played in France from June 10 to July 10. The majority opinion, says coach Mykhailo Fomenko, is that the national team comprises too many aged veterans, like left-back Vyacheslav Shevchuk and captain Ruslan Rotan. The former will be 37, the latter 34 by the time of the Euro Cup finals. Hopes are high for a pair of attacking wingers: Sevilla’s Yevhen Konoplyanka on the left and creative Dynamo Kyiv wide man Andriy Yarmolenko on the right. These two stand out as quality performers on a squad full of average players.

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Ukrainian pro hockey update

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Parayko shining  in St. Louis

Entering the 2015-2016 season, the top prospects in the St. Louis Blues system were Robby Fabbri, Ivan Barbashev and Jordan Schmaltz. No arguments there – all are youngsters with super potential. But another young man added his name to the watch list: Ukrainian defenseman Colton Parayko.

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Ukrainian pro sports update: soccer

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Yarmolenko hoping for English Premier League promotion

Andriy Yarmolenko has played the waiting game for many years now. Arguably one of the most talented soccer players of his generation, he joined Dynamo Kyiv in 2007 when the club’s grip on champion trophies began to slip. Perennially the top team playing in the Champions League every season, Dynamo was overtaken by upstart Shakhtar Donetsk, going five years without winning its domestic title before finally triumphing once more last spring. Yarmolenko, Ukraine’s star at Euro 2012 and consistently brilliant for Dynamo since, saw his national teammate Yevhen Konoplyanka join Sevilla, while he remained in Ukraine, serving the club he joined as a 13-year-old. His rewards came with the league title last season, followed by progress from the group stage of the Champions League to the last-16 games against Manchester City this past February-March.