Ukraine wins its first gold medal at Paris Olympics

The Ukrainian women’s fencing team has defeated South Korea and won gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Source: Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda’s holding company

Details: The Ukrainian team – Olha Kharlan, Olena Kravatska, Alina Komashchuk and Yuliia Bakastova – defeated their rivals with a score of 45–42.

Kharlan, the most decorated Ukrainian athlete in the history of the Olympics, led the Ukrainian team, finishing with a score of 5–3. The Koreans then went into the lead with a score of 20–14. However, when Kharlan returned to the piste, she reduced the gap to 25–23.

In the second half, Komashchuk drew with Jeong Hayoung, and the Korean team continued to lead by two points. Bakastova also drew 5–5 with Choi Sebin. In the penultimate match, Komashchuk faced Jeong Eunhye and lost 5-4. In the final match, Kharlan went up against Jeong Hayoung with a score of 40–37.

Kharlan levelled the score in the first three bouts, then missed two thrusts: 40–40. She then scored five points in a row.

Kharlan, Komashchuk, Bakastova and Kravatska reached the finals by beating the Italian team (45–37) in the quarter-finals and the Japanese team (45–32) in the semi-finals.

This is Ukraine’s third medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it's also the first gold. Kharlan earlier won bronze in individual fencing, Serhii Kulish claimed silver in rifle shooting three positions, and Oleksandr Khyzhniak won bronze in boxing.

The Ukrainian women’s fencing team won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, losing in the final to the Russian team.

Prior to the Paris Olympics, Ukrainian sabre fencers’ greatest achievement was winning gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where the women’s team defeated the Chinese team in the final.

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