Ukraine, thanks to fencer Olga Kharlan, won its first medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The 32-year-old athlete won bronze.
Harlan won the competition after a comeback in the bronze match against Korean Choi Se Bin, to whom she was trailing 5:11, but was able to snatch victory by a difference of one shot — 15:14.
Kharlan on bronze medal at 2024 Games
After receiving the Olympic medal, the fifth in her career, she said in a commentary to Suspilny that this bronze award is like gold for her.
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— A completely different medal, it is bronze, but for me it is gold. Whatever the medal, it is gold for me. Because in those conditions, given where our country is now, what we are going through, what every athlete who represents our country here goes through, it is impossible to convey. It is very difficult, — said the athlete.
She dedicated her award to Ukraine, our defenders, and all the athletes who were killed by the aggressor state Russia.
— I don’t know what I did. It’s simply indescribable. I dedicate this to all of Ukraine, friends, this is to you. I dedicate this to our defenders. I dedicate this to those athletes who can’t come here because Russia killed them, — Olga added.
Commenting on the comeback in the match with the Korean, she noted that she is Ukrainian, and that Ukrainians always have strength and we will always fight.
In addition, she noted the powerful support of the French stands in her bronze match.
At the 2024 Olympics, Harlan is also expecting a team tournament in sabre on Saturday, August 3. The Ukrainian team will include Komashchuk, Kravatskaya and Yulia Bakastova, and the first opponents of the blue-yellows will be the sabre fencers from the Republic of Korea.
