From Baiul to Abramenko: Ukraine's history at Winter Olympics

Ukraine’s medal record

In the eight previous Winter Olympics, Ukrainian athletes have won nine medals:

• 3 gold

• 2 silver

• 4 bronze

The country’s most successful Games were in 1994 and 2014, with two medals each — one gold and one bronze.

Twice, Ukraine left the Games without any medals: in 2002 and 2010.

Ukraine at the Winter Olympics:

• Lillehammer 1994 – 1 gold, 1 bronze – 13th in medal table

• Nagano 1998 – 1 silver – 18th

• Salt Lake City 2002 – no medals

• Turin 2006 – 2 bronze – 25th

• Vancouver 2010 – no medals

• Sochi 2014 – 1 gold, 1 bronze – 20th

• PyeongChang 2018 – 1 gold – 21st

• Beijing 2022 – 1 silver – 25th

Lillehammer 1994: debut and first gold

The Norwegian Games were Ukraine’s first as an independent team — and it was a spectacular start.

The first medal for independent Ukraine was won by biathlete Valentyna Tserbe, who took bronze in the sprint, missing gold by just over a second.

A few days later, 16-year-old Oksana Baiul won the figure skating competition, bringing Ukraine its first Olympic gold. The medal ceremony included a memorable moment: the organizers didn’t have a recording of the Ukrainian national anthem. It was eventually found on a cassette brought by the delegation, marking the first time Ukraine’s anthem was played at the Winter Games.

Ukraine finished 13th in the medal table — still the country’s best result in Winter Olympics history.

Nagano 1998: only medal on opening day

In Japan, the "blue and yellow" team won just one medal. Biathlete Olena Petrova took silver in the individual race. The medal came on the very first day of competition, but it remained Ukraine’s only podium finish at these Games.

This result placed Ukraine 18th in the medal table.

Salt Lake City 2002: first setback

The American Olympics marked Ukraine’s first Games without any medals.

Despite a record 68 athletes, Ukrainians finished off the podium. Closest to success were skier Valentyna Shevchenko and freestyle skier Stanislav Kravchuk — both finished fifth.

Turin 2006: two bronze medals

In Italy, Ukraine won two medals — both bronze.

Liliya Yefremova took bronze in the biathlon sprint, while the ice dancing pair Olena Hrushevska and Ruslan Honcharov earned bronze in figure skating.

The team finished the Games in 25th place.

Vancouver 2010: again off the podium

Another “dry” Olympics for Ukraine. The best result came from biathlete Andriy Deryzemlya, who finished fifth in the sprint.

Women’s biathlon relay team at 2014 Olympics (photo: Getty Images)

Sochi 2014: biathlon success

The Ukrainian women’s biathlon team made an immediate impact, winning two medals.

First, Vita Semerenko took bronze in the sprint. Then, together with her sister Valentyna, Olena Pidhrushna, and Yuliia Dzhyma, she triumphed in the relay.

The Ukrainian team clinched victory in a tense battle against the Russian team, who were later stripped of their medals due to doping violations.

Ukraine finished 20th in the overall medal standings.

PyeongChang 2018: Abramenko’s triumph

With its smallest team in history (33 athletes), Ukraine still returned home with gold.

Freestyle skier Oleksandr Abramenko sensationally won gold in aerials — Ukraine’s first-ever Olympic gold in this discipline.

This victory placed Ukraine 21st in the medal table.

Oleksandr Abramenko won gold and silver at the last Olympics (photo: Getty Images)

Beijing 2022: silver continuation

Once again, the hero was Oleksandr Abramenko. This time, he won silver in aerials.

This result placed Ukraine 25th in the overall medal standings.

What to expect from the 2026 Olympics

The Ukrainian team, consisting of 46 athletes across 11 sports, will aim to add to the country’s medal history in Italy.

Traditionally, the biggest hopes are in aerials and biathlon, where Ukraine has the largest representation and the most consistent results.