Ukrainian MP Beleniuk wins Olympic wrestling bronze
In a rare departure from the non-political creed of the Olympic movement, Ukraine wrestler Zhan Beleniuk has used his last Games to speak out against Russia’s invasion of his country.
The 33-year-old member of the Ukraine parliament retired from wresting after earning a bronze medal in the Greco-Roman category on Thursday at the Paris Games.
He defeated Poland’s Arkadiucz Kulynycz 3-1 in the 87-kilogram category, and then placed his shoes in the center of the mat to symbolize the end of his career.
Beleniuk, a two-time world champion, earned Olympic gold in 2021 and silver in 2016.
In 2019, he was elected to Ukraine’s parliament as an MP for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party.
Though he was pleased to win another medal in Paris, his response was muted.
He said more than 500 Ukrainian athletes have been killed by Russians, and he asked the world to support his country against a much larger nation with more resources.
“Today, I am very happy that I can take the medal,” he said.
“But for me, as a Ukrainian citizen, as a Ukrainian athlete, it is very important that Ukraine should be in the future. Because we don’t know about our future, unfortunately.”
Amid his serious message, Beleniuk managed to find a moment of humor.
When asked why he was retiring, he paused, and then drew laughter with a simple answer: “I’m old.”
At the conclusion of Thursday’s action, Ukraine sits 15th on the medal tally with three gold.
The women’s team sabre claimed a fencing gold, Yaroslava won the women’s high jump and on Wednesday night, Oleksandr Khyzhniak triumphed in the men’s middleweight boxing.
Khyzhniak’s gold medal presentation was the last presentation of the night, across all sports, meaning any Olympics-watchers would have seen the 29-year-old’s tears during his national anthem.
Local winners have been saluted by Ukrainians as proof of the country’s spirit and fighting qualities.
Another Ukrainian athlete, Greco-Roman wrestler Parviz Nasibov, lost to Iran’s Saeid Esmaeili in the gold-medal match at 67 kg right before Beleniuk’s match.
Nasibov said he considers Beleniuk a close friend who “has achieved everything.”
“It was a beautiful career, and I wish everyone to have such a magnificent end of their career,” Nasibov said.
Nasibov shared Beleniuk’s muted response about his silver medal, saying he did not feel joy. But he said he realizes that his success brings some joy to others.
“That’s why this medal is so precious for me — I am sharing it with my country,” he said.
“I am sharing it with everyone who is at war now, with all the soldiers who protect our country and who protect our sleep.”
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