Ukrainian racewalker Olianovska sets new world record in athletics
Liudmyla Olianovska (photo: UAAF)
Liudmyla Olianovska set a new world record indoors over 5000 meters. The Ukrainian athlete delivered a phenomenal performance at the Ukrainian Championships in Kyiv, becoming the first woman in history to cover this distance in under 20 minutes, according to the Ukrainian Athletic Federation.
Mega performance in Kyiv
Olianovska set the record on the opening day of the Ukrainian Championships, currently ongoing in the capital. Her finishing time was 19:53.
This achievement is a landmark for world sports: Olianovska is the first racewalker in history to break the 20-minute barrier over 5000 meters indoors. She surpassed the previous world record by 8 seconds.
Until now, the best result was held by Eleonora Giorgi and had stood for over ten years, since 2014.
"This is an extraordinarily strong, simply cosmic result for a girl. I will truly grasp its scale only when I try to surpass it again and remember how much sweat and time it takes to achieve this speed indoors. For now, I am just very happy," Olianovska shared with Suspilne Sport.
In the company of Mahuchikh
Thanks to this achievement, Liudmyla Olianovska joined the elite club of current Ukrainian world record-holders. Ukraine now has two female athletes whose names are inscribed in history for the planet’s best performances:
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Liudmyla Olianovska – racewalking, 5000 m indoor (19:53)
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Yaroslava Mahuchikh – high jump (record 2.10 m, set in 2024)
Who is Liudmyla Olianovska
Born on February 20, 1993, in the Khmelnytskyi region. She is a leading Ukrainian athlete specializing in racewalking and represents the Kyiv region at the national level.
Olianovska is one of the most decorated Ukrainian racewalkers in history, with top international-level awards over 20 km:
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World Championships: Bronze medalist, 2015.
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European Championships: Silver (2014) and bronze (2024).
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Team achievements: Winner of the European Team Race Walking Championships in the individual ranking (2025), and multiple-time team medalist with Ukraine.
On November 30, 2015, Olianovska served a four-year suspension for anti-doping rule violations.
