Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak for Olympic gold amid Russian war
Khyzhniak is Ukraine's third gold medalist at the Olympics, representing the smallest team in the nation's history due to casualties from the war
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ukraine added its third gold medal of the Paris Olympics Wednesday, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave his thanks on social media.
Ukrainian middleweight boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak won a gold medal when he defeated Kazakhstan's Nurbek Oralbay 3-2 in a thrilling final at Roland Garros.
"Another gold medal for Ukraine at the Olympics in Paris! Boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak has taken the first place," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X after the match.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Thank you for your strength, your confidence, and for this important victory! We continue to support all our athletes. We cheer for Ukraine, we cheer for Ukrainians!"
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Referee Muhammad Pohan raises the hand of Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine to announce the winner of the men's 80-kilogram semifinal match against Arlen Lopez Cardona of Cuba on day nine of the Paris Olympics. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Khyzhniak joined women's high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh and women's fencer Olga Kharlan as Ukrainian gold medalists in Paris so far. The country has won eight medals total.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}For Khyzhniak, Ukraine's first men's gold medalist in Paris, Wednesday's win marked a moment of both national and personal pride. Khyzhniak was on track to win the middleweight gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when he was favored to defeat Brazil's Herbert Sousa. But Sousa came up with a stunning punch that dropped Khyzhniak, and he had to settle for the silver medal.
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Since that defeat, Khyzhniak's nation was invaded, and many of his teammates were killed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russia's war against Ukraine, which began Feb. 24, 2022, just days after the conclusion of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has now gone on for two years, five months and two weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens during his meeting with Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, in Kyiv, Ukraine, April 1, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
There are only 140 athletes from Ukraine at the Olympics, the smallest group in the country’s history at the Summer Games, as hundreds have been killed during the war.
A display with sports equipment was set up at Parliament Square in London to honor the 487 Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s invasion of the country. Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who competed in weightlifting at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and Kateryna Diachenko, an 11-year-old rhythmic gymnast killed in March 2022, were among those remembered.
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Gold medalist Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine poses on the podium during the men's boxing 80-kilogram medal ceremony after the final match on day twelve of the Paris Olympics. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Because Russia invaded Ukraine just four days after the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee considered this attack a violation of the Olympic truce, a resolution that calls for all nations to lay down arms and not engage in conflict starting one week before the Olympics begins and ending one week after the conclusion.
Because of this, Russian athletes are not allowed to represent their nation in Paris but can compete as "individual neutral athletes."
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