SOCCER
U-20 men’s team advances to knockout stage
Ukraine’s men’s under-20 national team tied 1-1 with Nigeria on May 30 in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, to finish in first place in Group D of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland (tournament hosts). Ukraine won 2-1 against the U.S. on May 25 and won 1-0 against Qatar on May 27 in Tychy. Ukraine finished with seven points.
FUTSAL
U-19 men’s team in final draw for UEFA championship
Ukraine joins group winners Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Russia and Croatia, as well as tournament hosts Latvia, for the 2019 UEFA U-19 Futsal Championship in Riga. The tournament draw is scheduled for June 7, and the eight teams will be divided into two groups of four teams. Matches are scheduled for September 9-11. The semifinals are to be played on September 12 and the final is set for September 14. Ukraine won first place in Group 4 with nine points after three matches played on March 26-29. Ukraine won 3-2 against Belgium (six points), won 5-4 against Romania (three points) and won 6-1 against North Macedonia (zero points, group hosts). Denys Blank was a top goal-scorer for Ukraine with four in the main round.
SWIMMING
Govorov wins silver in Budapest
Andrii Govorov won the men’s 50-meter butterfly (22.87 seconds) at the FINA Champions Swim Series in Budapest on May 11-12. Mykhailo Romanchuk won silver in the men’s 400-meter freestyle (3:47.08 seconds).
Ukraine wins silver and bronze in Beijing
Ukraine won silver in the women’s team free combination event (86.2667 points) and bronze (83.4550 points) in the women’s duet technical routine at the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series on May 4-6 in Beijing. Ukraine finished in fourth place in the women’s team technical event and Ukraine won bronze in the women’s duet free event (85.3667 points), and Oleksandra Burdova won silver in the women’s solo technical routine (84.0224 points).
Govorov wins bronze in Guangzhou
Andrii Govorov won bronze in the men’s 50-meter butterfly (23.28 seconds) at the FINA Champion’s Swim Series in Guangzhou, China, on April 27-28.
Ukraine wins two golds at Artistic World Series
Ukraine won two gold medals at the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series on April 4 in Alexandroupolis, Greece. Maryna and Vladyslava Aleksiiva won gold in the duet free program (92.8000 points) and the Aleksiiva sisters won gold in the highlight routine competition (93.3333 points).
DIVING
Ukraine medals at Diving World Series in London
Oleg Kolodiy and Oleksandr Gorshkovozov won bronze medals men’s 3-meter synchronized diving (405.63 points) at the Diving World Series in London on May 17-19.
TENNIS
Svitolina among top-10 in aces
Elina Svitolina, ranked ninth by the WTA (May 20 rankings), was ranked ninth among the world’s top-10 female tennis players based on the number of aces served this season. The report was announced on April 8, with Svitolina scoring 81 aces in 19 matches. Other Ukrainian tennis players in the WTA rankings included Lesya Tsurenko (27th place), Dayana Yastremska (42nd place) and Kateryna Kozlova in 66th place.
SQUASH
Men’s team wins bronze at Lisbon
Ukraine’s men’s national team won bronze at the European Team Championships (Division 3) in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 13-14. In the third-place match, Ukraine won 2-1 against Norway. Ukraine’s team members included Kostiantyn Rybalchenko, Valeriy Fedoruk, Yaroslav Bagan, Dmytro Pogrebnik and Artur Sikora.
In the semifinal, Ukraine lost 1-2 against Poland. Ukraine finished in first place in Group C, winning all three of its matches. Other teams in Group C included Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Gibraltar.
ATHLETICS
Mahuchikh takes high jump gold at Doha
Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold in the women’s high jump (1.96 meters) at the IAAF Doha Diamond League event in Qatar on May 3. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk won silver in the women’s long jump with a distance of 6.74 meters. Anna Ryshkova won bronze in the women’s 400-meter women’s hurdles (54.82 seconds).
BOXING
Kopylenko loses WBC international title
Middleweight Vitaly Kopylenko (26-2, 14 KO) lost a WBC international title match against Steven Butler (27-1-1, 23 KO) of Canada on May 2 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Judges scored the 10-round bout 96-93, 96-93, 94-95 in favor of the Canadian.
Postol unanimously wins 10-round bout
Super lightweight Viktor Postol (30-2, 12 KO) won by unanimous decision after 10 rounds against Mohamed Mimoune (21-3, 2 KO) of France on April 27 at Cosmopolitan Resort in Las Vegas. Judges scored the fight 99-91, 98-92, 97-93. This fight was a final WBC super lightweight title eliminator and Postol will advance to challenge the current WBC super lightweight champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (24-0, 16 KO) of the U.S.A. Ramirez is currently suspended by the California State Athletic Commission until August 9 of this year.
Other super lightweight title holders are IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk (19-0, 12 KO) of Belarus, WBA champion Regis Prograis (24-0, 20 KO) of the U.S.A., and WBO champion Maurice Hooker (26-0-3, 17 KO) of the U.S.A. Postol is ranked in seventh place in the super lightweight division.
Dimitrenko retires in fifth against Ruiz
Heavyweight Alexandr Dimitrenko (40-5-1, 26 KO) of Ukraine (who took German citizenship) lost a 10-round fight on April 20 against Andy Ruiz Jr. (32-1, 21 KO) of the U.S.A. at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. Dimitrenko retired in the fifth round. Judges had scored the fight up to that point at 50-45 all in favor of Ruiz Jr. The winner, Ruiz Jr., takes on heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on June 1 at MSG in New York.
WBO World Super Champion belt for Lomachenko
Lightweight WBA and WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko was presented the Lightweight World Super Champion Belt by the World Boxing Organization during a pre-fight press conference on April 10. The World Super Champion title gives Lomachenko the right to challenge the WBO belt in any weight category. It also gives Lomachenko preferential scheduling of re-matches if he loses a WBO title belt.
Derevyanchenko wins, becomes mandatory challenger
Middleweight Sergey Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KO) won by unanimous decision against Jack Culcay (23-3, 12 KO) of Germany on April 13 at the Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis. The fight, scheduled for 12 rounds ended with judges scoring 116-112, 116-112, 115-113 in favor of the Ukrainian. Derevyanchenko is set to become the mandatory IBF middleweight challenger. Discussions are underway for Derevyanchenko to challenge IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KO) of Mexico.
Berinchyk wins WBO title against Arakawa
Lightweight Denys Berninchyk (11-0, 7 KO) won the WBO lightweight international title by unanimous decision after 12 rounds against Nihito Arakawa (32-7-2, 18 KO) of Japan on April 20 at the Sports Palace in Kyiv. The fight was scored 120-107, 118-109, 120-107.
Usyk relinquishes WBA cruiserweight title
Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (16-0, 12 KO) has moved up to the heavyweight division, but his first fight at heavyweight against Carlos Takam (36-5-1, 28 KO) of France on May 25 was cancelled because of an injury to Usyk’s bicep during training. Usyk voluntarily vacated his World Boxing Association cruiserweight “super” title on March 28. He announced resignation of the title as the WBA was to announce a mandatory cruiserweight title defense against Denis Lebedev (32-2, 23 KO). Usyk’s camp initially announced his debut as a heavyweight would happen on May 18 at a yet-to-be-announced venue in Chicago, against an opponent to be named.
Usyk was the first cruiserweight champion in recent memory to unify all of the major belts – WBO, IBF, WBA, WBC. His title reign began in July 2018 following unification fights in the 2017-2018 World Boxing Super Series.
Klitschko joins WBA board as advisor
Retired heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko announced on April 3 that he will serve as a technical advisor on the World Boxing Association board, headed by president Gilberto Mendoza. The advisory board includes Oliver Gomez, general counsel; Francisco Pina, financial advisor; Joseph Estwanick, medical advisor; and Robert Mack, legal advisor.
JUDO
Gold and silver at Cadet European Judo Cup
Rostyslav Berezhnyi (66 kg) and Vladislav Kazimirov (60 kg) won gold and silver, respectively, at the Cadet European Judo Cup in Bielsko Biala, Poland, on May 18-19. In the final matches, Bereshnyi won against Adam Tsechoev of Russia and Kazimirov lost against Rizvan Magomafov of Russia. Ukraine finished in seventh place in the medals standings. The tournament attracted 574 athletes from 39 countries. Ukraine fielded a team of 24 male and 10 female athletes.
Kalanina wins gold at Baku Grand Slam
Yelyzaveta Kalanina (+78 kg) won gold after defeating Larisa Ceric of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final of the Baku Grand Slam (part of the IJF World Tour) on May 11-12. Bogdan Iadov (66 kg) won bronze after winning against Mukhriddin Tilovov of Uzbekistan in the third-place match. The tournament attracted 431 athletes from 56 countries.
Gold, silver and bronze for Ukraine in Baku
Inna Cherniak (52 kg) won gold after winning the final against Cherine Abdellaloui of Algeria at the IBSA Judo Grand-Prix Baku on May 11-12. Rufat Mahomedov (73 kg) won silver after losing to Feruz Sayidov of Uzbekistan on the final, and Serhii Korenko won the third place match against Vasilii Kutuev of Russia. The tournament attracted 212 athletes from 35 countries.
Gold and bronze at European Cup in Sarajevo
Anton Savytskiy (100 kg) won gold at the European Judo Cup in Sarajevo on May 4-5. Danylo Hutsol (100 kg) won bronze after losing against Jaakko Alli of Finland. Savytskiy won the final against Alli. The tournament attracted 231 athletes from 28 countries.
Ukraine in second place at Cluj-Napoca
Ukraine finished in second place in the medals standings with three gold, one silver and five bronze medals at the Cadet European Judo Cup in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on May 4-5. Mykyta Holoborodko (50 kg), Serhii Nebotov (66 kg) and Tymur Valieiev (81 kg) won gold; Nikita Batii (81 kg) won silver after his loss to Valieiev; and Nazar Kulieshov (66 kg), Nazarii Yurchak (81 kg), Vadym Leontiev (73 kg), Olga Tsimko (70 kg) and Sofiia Bordinskykh (52 kg) won bronze medals. The tournament attracted 563 athletes from 28 countries.
Mutiple medals at Dubrovnik cup
Ukraine finished in the medals standings in second place after its athletes won three gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the 2019 European Judo Cup in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on April 13-14. Oleksandr Moisei (66 kg) defeated Artem Falkivskyi in the final, as both Ukrainians won gold and silver, respectively; Vitalii Shepel (90 kg) won gold after defeating Marius Van De Ven of the Netherlands in the final; and Anton Savytskiy (100 kg) won gold after winning against Danilo Pantic of Montenegro in the final. Nodar Machutadze (+100 kg) also won silver, and bronze medalists were Bekirbek Morgoyev (60 kg), Vladyslav Grynchuk (90 kg), Leonid Gasyuk (+100 kg), and Ruslana Bulvina (+78 kg). Ukraine fielded a team of 17 (14 men and three women) athletes, and the tournament attracted 235 athletes from 25 countries.
One gold and three bronze at European Cup
Tymur Valieiev (81 kg) won gold at the Cadet Judo Cup in Teplice, the Czech Republic, on April 6-7. Valieiev won in the final against Akaki Japaridze of Georgia after defeating Lasha Mgebrishvili of Georgia in the semifinal. Bronze medalists were Nikita Batii (81 kg), Daniil Vegiieg (60 kg) and Yuliia Kurchenko (63 kg). In the bronze medal matches. Kurchenko won against Habibe Afyonlu of Turkey, Vergiiev won against Marcel Mravec of the Czech Republic, and Batii won against Zurab Chagelishvili of Georgia. The tournament attracted 771 athletes from 34 countries.
Skora and Turchyn win bronze in Antalya
Mariia Skora (57 kg) and Anastasiya Turchyn (78 kg) won bronze medals at the IJF World Judo Tour Grand Prix in Antalya, Turkey, on April 5-7. In the bronze medal matches, Turchyn won against Patricia Sampaio of Portugal and Skora won against Marcia Perisic of Serbia. Ukraine fielded a team of nine men and four women, and the tournament attracted 479 athletes from 75 countries.
Bilodid wins silver in Tbilisi
Daria Bliodid (48 kg) won silver in the women’s division at the Judo Gran Prix in Tbilisi, Georgia, on March 30. In the final, Bilodid lost to Melanie Clement of France. In the semifinal, Bilodid won against Eva Csernoviczki of Hungary. The tournament attracted 372 athletes from 52 countries.
GYMNASTICS
Two silver medals at Guadalajara
Yeva Meleshchuk won silver in the women’s ball event at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 3-5. Khrystyna Pohranychna won silver in the women’s hoop event.
Bronze medal in all-around in Baku
Vlada Nikochenko won bronze in the women’s individual all-around at the 2019 World Cup in Baku on April 26-28. Ukraine won bronze in the five-ball team event and bronze in the women’s four clubs and three hoops event. Ukraine finished in fourth place in the overall medals standings with two gold, four silver and seven bronze medals.
Ukraine wins two golds at Grand Prix
Ukraine’s rhythmic gymnastics team won two gold medals at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix in Thiais, France, on March 30-31. In the final competition, Ukraine won gold in the five-ball event (25.5 points) and in the three rings and two clubs event (24.55 points). After two events, Ukraine’s women’s team was awarded the silver medal based on points (46.2 points). In individual competition, Vlada Nykolchenko won bronze in the hoop event (21.3 points).