Ukraine wins its first gold in Paris Olympics

The Ukrainian women's fencing team defeated the Republic of Korea, claiming gold in 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 Korean team then led with a score of 20-14. However, when Kharlan returned to the piste, she reduced the gap to 25-23. In the second half of the match, Komashchuk drew with Jeong Hyun, and the Korean team continued to lead by two points.

Bakastova also drew 5-5 with Choi Seobin during her turn. In the penultimate match, Komashchuk faced Jeong Eunhae and lost her fight 5-4. In the final match, Kharlan went up against Jeong Hyun with a score of 40-37.

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

On their way to the finals, Kharlan, Komashchuk, Bakastova and Kravatska defeated 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 air rifle shooting from three positions, and Oleksandr Khyzhniak also won bronze in boxing. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the Ukrainian women's fencing team won silver, losing in the final to the Russian team. Prior to the Paris Olympics, the best achievement of Ukrainian fencers was the gold medal during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where the women's team defeated the Chinese team in the final.

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