Ukraine increased its haul of medals at the Rio Summer Olympics in Brazil by three on Aug. 20, with its athletes winning one silver and two bronzes.
With one day of
competition left at the games, Ukrainian athlete Pavlo Tymoshchenko won a
silver medal in the men’s individual modern pentathlon, which comprises five
different events: fencing, 200 meters freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a
final combined event of pistol shooting and a 3,200-meter cross-country run.
Tymoshchenko finished
with a result of 1,472 points – second to Russian Aleksander Lesun, who socored
1,479 points. Third place was taken by Mexican Ismael Hernandez Uscanga, with 1,468
points.
Meanwhile, Dmytro
Ianchuk and Taras Mishchuk took the bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters canoe
doubles. The pair from Germany finished the first, and the Brazilian pair second.
Ianchuk and Mishchuk said their
medal-winning performance had been inspired by the victory of Ukrainian sprint
canoeist Yuriy Cheban, who won the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter canoe
sprint on Aug. 18.
Woman gymnast Ganna Rizatdinova brought Ukraine another medal on Aug. 20,
winning a fourth bronze for the country in the women’s individual all-around rhythmic
gymnastics.
“I did my best. I
gave all that I could – time and effort, and emotions,” Rizatdinova said in comments to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine after the
competition. “When I was about to start the last (performance) with the rope, I
realized that, in principle, I could come third. But this is a tricky kind of sport.
If I’d committed just one error – I wouldn’t have got the bronze (medal).”
Rizatdinova finished behind two Russian gymnasts, Margarita Mamun and Yana Kudryavtseva,
who took gold and silver respectively.
As of the last day of the
summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Ukraine is in 28th place on the medals
table, with 11 medals: two gold, five silver and four bronze.
Kyiv Post staff writer Denys Krasnikov can be
reached at [email protected].
