Four years ago, on September 9, 2012, Ukraine earned the fourth-place spot at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London with 84 medals – 32 gold, 24 silver and 28 bronze medals – to finish behind China, Russia and Great Britain. The Games ran from August 29 through September 9.
Half of Ukraine’s medals were won by its swimmers, who collected 44 medals – 17 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze, with 20 top-10 finishes.
Seventeen medals for Ukraine came in track and field events – five gold, six silver and six bronze medals, with seven top-10 finishes as well.
Ukraine’s seven-a-side soccer team won silver in a 0-1 loss against Russia in the final after defeating Iran in the semifinal 2-1. In the group stage, Ukraine finished in the top spot after defeating the U.S.A. 9-0, a 7-1 win against Great Britain and 1-1 draw with Brazil.
The women’s seated volleyball team won a bronze medal after winning 3-0 against the Netherlands. Ukraine finished its group in first place with six points, with three wins (3-0 against Great Britain, 3-1 against the Netherlands and 3-0 against Japan) and no losses. Ukraine won 3-0 in the semifinal against the U.S.A.
Ukraine’s 172 athletes will be participating in a total of 15 sports during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio on September 7-18. (This year, due to doping, Russia’s entire Paralympic team has been banned from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.)
In seven-a-side soccer, Ukraine is in Group A with Brazil, Great Britain and Ireland. Going into the Paralympic Games in Rio, Ukraine is ranked first in the world after defeating Brazil 2-0 in the 2016 Pre-Paralympic Tournament in Salou, Spain, in the first-place match.
In goalball (played by women), Ukraine (ranked 15th in the world) is grouped with Turkey, China, Australia and Canada.
Other sports events with representation by Ukraine include archery, cycling, judo, paracanoeing, rowing, shooting and swimming.
Sources: “Ukraine’s Paralympic Team finishes in fourth place in London,” by Matthew Dubas, The Ukrainian Weekly, September 16, 2012. (Wikipedia)