Ukrainian Beleniuk wins bronze medal at Olympic Games
Photo: Zhan Beleniuk has completed his collection of medals (Getty Images)
Ukrainian Zhan Beleniuk defeated Polish wrestler Arkadiusz Marcin Kulynycz in the match for third place at the 2024 Olympics.
Olympics 2024, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Up to 67 kg, Final
Kulynycz – Beleniuk – 1:3
In the first period, the Polish wrestler defended well and managed to score one point, while the experienced Ukrainian wrestler, despite his high activity, was unable to score.
However, Beleniuk started the second three-minute period effectively. He first scored a point, then successfully counterattacked Kulynycz with a maneuver, adding two more points from above. The Polish wrestler tried to make a comeback, but the Ukrainian made no mistakes.
For Beleniuk, the bronze in Paris became his third Olympic medal. Previously, he finished with silver and gold medals.
Zhan Beleniuk at the Olympic Games
The Ukrainian made his debut at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, competing in the weight category up to 85 kg. On his way to the final, Beleniuk defeated Egypt's Saad, Bulgaria's Bayryakov, and Belarus's Hamzatau.
In the final, the Ukrainian wrestler faced Russian Davit Chakvetadze. The decisive match did not go as planned, as the Georgian with a Russian passport defeated Beleniuk (9:2), leaving the Ukrainian athlet with the Olympic silver.
At the 2020 Games, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, Beleniuk arrived as a favorite. This time, on his way to the final, he defeated Serbia's Datunashvili, Algeria's Azara, and Croatia's Huklek.
In the final, he faced Hungarian Lőrincz. This time, the Ukrainian wrestler achieved an apparently easy victory (5:1), bringing Ukraine its only gold medal from the Tokyo Games.
Earlier, Nasibov had lost to Iran's Esmaeili Leivesi in the Olympic final.
