Ukraine has a number of outstanding athletes who have made the country famous on the international sports scene. These talented athletes not only impress with their achievements, but also serve as models of courage, perseverance and professionalism

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Athletes are the pride of the country. Prominent Ukrainians have been competing in the biggest sports arenas for many years, winning victories and glorifying Ukraine to the whole world. Ukrainians admire their athletes, support and sincerely rejoice at their victories.

We really have something to be proud of. We decided to recall the records of 8 of the most outstanding athletes known throughout the world.

Inessa Kravets

One of the most persistent world records in women's athletics, which no one could break for 26 years, belonged to Inessa Kravets in the triple jump. The athlete set it at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, showing a result of 15.50 m. The following year, she won an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, becoming the first ever champion among women in the triple jump.

Serhiy Bubka

A legendary Ukrainian athlete known for his achievements and extraordinary records. He has 36 world records to his credit. One of his most famous victories came in 1994, when he conquered the 6.14-meter mark at a competition held in the Italian town of Sestriere. This incredible record stood for the next 26 years.

In addition to this impressive achievement, the athlete won the title of world champion 10 times, confirming his exclusivity and extraordinary skills in the international arena.

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Oksana Bayul

Oksana Bayul will forever remain in history as the first Olympic champion of independent Ukraine. In 1994, in Lillehammer, Norway, no one, including the organizers of the Olympics (who, as it turned out, did not even have a recording of the Ukrainian anthem), expected a 16-year-old Ukrainian figure skater to win gold. The search for the melody of the Ukrainian national anthem delayed the award ceremony by almost an hour. That evening, as the athlete triumphed, hundreds of thousands of people around the world discovered for the first time a new country that had made its debut at the Olympics and immediately won gold.

Lilia Podkopaeva

In 1996, at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, this fragile 17-year-old Ukrainian athlete won the absolute championship in gymnastics and made the President of America, Bill Clinton, and 45,000 spectators of the Georgia Dome hall give a standing ovation. To this day, no one, not even men, can do her signature double jump forward with a 180-degree turn.

Liliya Podkopaeva is known for her graceful and powerful performances as well as her own style of gymnastics. Lilia was not afraid to experiment and contribute to the legacy of this sport. Three of Lilia's signature skills are now named after her.

Instagram: @podkopayeva_official

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Volodymyr and Vitaliy Klitschko

The Klitschko brothers have been known in the world of professional boxing since 1996. In 2018, Volodymyr and his brother Vitaly entered the Guinness Book of Records as champion brothers who had the largest number of fights and collected all championship belts in the heavyweight category in one family. The Klitschko brothers had a great impact on sports in Ukraine, inspiring several generations of talented athletes.

Ruslan Ponomaryov

In 2002, Ruslan Ponomaryov became the first world chess champion in the history of independent Ukraine. He was very young when he entered the Olympus of masters of strategy and combinations. In 1998, 14-year-old Ruslan became the youngest grandmaster. And four years later, again with the same adjective of the youngest, he became the world chess champion.

Andriy Shevchenko

Starting from the end of the 90s and up to our time, every European who does not even know the intricacies of geography or history, upon hearing the name "Ukraine", immediately responds affirmatively to this toponym and calls it Shevchenko. Winner of the Golden Ball, winner of the Champions League, winner of the UEFA Super Cup, multiple champion and winner of the Cup of Ukraine and Italy, winner of the FA Cup, top scorer of the championship of Ukraine and Italian Serie A, quarter-finalist of the 2006 World Cup, leader of the Ukrainian national team at Euro-2012. This is far from a complete list of Andrii Shevchenko's achievements and merits.

With his talent and hard work, he raised the image of Ukrainian football and Ukraine in general to a much higher level. In addition, Shevchenko became an example and an idol for hundreds of thousands of children who aspired or aspired to be like him.

Elina Svitolina

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina set many national records, taking the highest place among Ukrainian tennis players in the world ranking (No. 3 in the WTA ranking). In addition, she is the only one who won the WTA Finals tournament, the only Ukrainian woman who reached the semifinals of the Grand Slam singles tournament. Elina is a quarter-finalist at the 2016 Olympics and a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.

Instagram: @elisvitolina

Ukraine is rich in talented athletes who have been proudly glorifying the blue-yellow flag all over the world for many years.

We remind you that every year brings new achievements for the cultural heritage of Ukraine. Prominent Ukrainian artists actively sell their works at international auctions such as Phillips and Sotheby's. They participate in the Venice Biennale and their paintings can be seen in leading galleries in Europe. More about popular Ukrainian artists whose works are known all over the world was told in our previous article.

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