Who is Zhan Beleniuk? All you need to know about the Ukrainian MP who won a medal at Paris Olympics 2024

Zhan Beleniuk of Ukraine won the bronze medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 87kg category in wrestling at the Paris Olympics 2024. On Thursday, August 8, he beat Poland’s Arkadiusz Kulynycz in the third-place playoff match. Interestingly, the 33-year-old wrestler is also a politician. Back in 2019, Beleniuk made history in Ukrainian politics after becoming the first black member of the parliament.

After winning bronze in Paris, Beleniuk retired from professional wrestling in a bid to focus more on his political career. Back in 2016, he won the silver medal in the Rio Games after losing to Russia’s Davit Chakvetadze in the gold-medal clash. In Tokyo, Beleniuk went on to bag the gold medal after beating Hungary’s Viktor Lorincz in the final.

It is since 2013 that the wrestler has been plying his trade. He has won five medals in World Championships, including two gold, one silver and two bronze. The Ukrainian athlete also bagged six medals in European Championships, which included three gold and as many bronze medals.

Apart from his stupendous career on the mat, Beleniuk has also served as a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. However, he resigned from his post in January 2023 after differences in opinion with new president Vadym Gutzeit.

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How did Zhan Beleniuk perform in Paris Olympics?

Zhan Beleniuk had a memorable outing in Paris as he went on to win his third Olympic medal. He began his campaign by beating Qian Haitao from China 7-1 in the Round of 16. Thereafter, he got the better of Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Tursynov 7-3 in the semi-final.

Beleniuk, however, lost his way a wee bit after losing to Iran’s Alireza Mohmadi in the semi-final. But in the bronze-medal match, he returned to his best after beating his Polish opponent 3-1. He is also among the 33 athletes from Ukraine to win multiple medals at the Olympics.

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