Olga Kharlan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olga Kharlan
Kharlan at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Native name	Ольга Харлан
Full name	Olga Hennadiivna Kharlan
Nickname(s)	Olya
Born	(1990-09-04) 4 September 1990 (age 34) Mykolaiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
Country	Ukraine
Sport	Fencing
Weapon	Sabre
Hand	Right-handed
National coach	Yevgeniy Statsenko
Club	Dynamo; Virtus Scherma Bologna
Head coach	Artem Skorokhod
Personal coach	Yuriy Marchenko
Highest ranking	Number 1 (in 2012–14, 2017–18, and 2019–21)
FIE ranking	current ranking
Medal record Women's sabre Representing  Ukraine Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 1 3 World Championships 6 7 2 European Games 2 0 0 European Championships 8 8 6 Summer Universiade 2 1 0 World Juniors Championships 8 1 1 World Cadets Championships 0 0 1 European Junior Championships 2 1 1 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Team Gold 2024 Paris Team Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Bronze 2012 London Individual Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Individual Bronze 2024 Paris Individual World Championships Gold 2009 Antalya Team Gold 2013 Budapest Team Gold 2013 Budapest Individual Gold 2014 Kazan Individual Gold 2017 Leipzig Individual Gold 2019 Budapest Individual Silver 2007 Saint Petersburg Team Silver 2009 Antalya Individual Silver 2010 Paris Team Silver 2010 Paris Individual Silver 2011 Catania Team Silver 2012 Kyiv Team Silver 2015 Moscow Team Bronze 2011 Catania Individual Bronze 2014 Kazan Team European Games Gold 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Individual Gold 2015 Baku Team European Championships Gold 2009 Plovdiv Individual Gold 2009 Plovdiv Team Gold 2010 Leipzig Team Gold 2011 Sheffield Individual Gold 2012 Legnano Individual Gold 2013 Zagreb Individual Gold 2014 Strasbourg Individual Gold 2019 Düsseldorf Individual Silver 2006 Izmir Individual Silver 2007 Ghent Team Silver 2008 Kyiv Team Silver 2011 Sheffield Team Silver 2012 Legnano Team Silver 2013 Zagreb Team Silver 2018 Novi Sad Team Silver 2024 Basel Team Bronze 2005 Zalaegerszeg Team Bronze 2014 Strasbourg Team Bronze 2015 Montreux Team Bronze 2016 Toruń Individual Bronze 2016 Toruń Team Bronze 2022 Antalya Team Universiade Gold 2011 Shenzhen Individual Gold 2013 Kazan Individual Silver 2011 Shenzhen Team World Juniors Championships Gold 2007 Belek Individual Gold 2007 Belek Team Gold 2008 Acireale Individual Gold 2008 Acireale Team Gold 2009 Belfast Individual Gold 2009 Belfast Team Gold 2010 Baku Individual Gold 2010 Baku Team Silver 2005 Linz Team Bronze 2005 Linz Individual European Junior Championships Gold 2004 Espinho Team Gold 2006 Poznań Team Silver 2004 Espinho Individual Bronze 2006 Poznań Individual World Cadets Championships Bronze 2007 Belek Individual

Olga Kharlan (born September 4, 1990) is a famous Ukrainian sabre fencer. She is one of the most successful Ukrainian athletes in history. Olga has won many medals, including six Olympic medals. She has been ranked as the world's number one sabre fencer five times.

Olga has won six individual world championships in sabre fencing. She has also won two team world championships. In Europe, she has won eight individual and two team championships. Olga has competed in six Olympic Games. She won gold medals with her team in 2008 and 2024. She also has a silver medal from 2016 and three individual bronze medals. In 2016, Olga was added to the International Fencing Federation Hall of Fame.

Olga's Life Story

Olga Kharlan was born in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Her father was a coach for sailing and swimming. He taught her to swim when she was very young. Her mother worked as a painter.

Olga first loved ballroom dancing, like samba and cha-cha. But the lessons were too expensive for her family. When she was 10, her godfather, Anatoly Shlikar, suggested she try fencing. The lessons were free! She chose the sabre as her weapon after a year.

For her first two years, Olga borrowed fencing gear. She couldn't afford her own shoes, sabre, or clothes. Her coach, Artem Skorokhod, has trained her for many years. Olga won her first national Junior title when she was just 13. She beat teenagers who were up to five years older than her.

Olga studied at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding. She married fellow fencer Dmytro Boiko in 2014, but they later divorced. She now lives in Bologna, Italy, and is dating Italian fencer Luigi Samele.

Olga's Fencing Career

Starting Her Fencing Journey

Kharlan in 2008

Olga joined the Ukrainian national team when she was 14, in 2005. Her first international medal was a bronze medal at the 2005 Junior World Championships. She also won a silver medal with her team. In 2006, she placed second at the European Seniors Fencing Championship.

At just 17, Olga competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the team event, Ukraine reached the final against China. Olga scored more than half her team's points. She made the winning touch in the final round, helping Ukraine win the gold medal.

In the 2008–09 season, Olga won gold at the 2009 European Fencing Championships. She won both the individual and team events. At the 2009 World Fencing Championships, she reached the final but lost to American Mariel Zagunis. Still, she and her team won gold in the team event. People called her "one of the most talented fencers" and a "star of the future."

Olga won her fourth Junior World Championship in a row in 2009–10. She is the only fencer to win these golds in both individual and team events. Her team won gold again at the European Championships. By 2010–11, Olga was ranked 3rd in the world.

Winning World and European Titles

Kharlan (right) scoring a point in the 2013 World Championships.

In 2012, Olga was offered the chance to compete for Russia, but she said no. She won a bronze medal in individual sabre at the 2012 London Olympics.

At the 2013 World Fencing Championships, Olga won her first individual world championship. She beat the South Korean Olympic champion in a very close match. In the final, she took an early lead and won her first individual world title. Her team also won gold, making it two gold medals for her at the competition. She finished the season as the world's No. 1 fencer.

In 2013–14, Olga won four World Cups. She also won her fourth European gold medal in a row. In the team event, Ukraine won a bronze medal. At the 2014 World Fencing Championships, Olga won her second individual world title. Her team also won a bronze medal. She ended the season as the world's No. 1 fencer for the second year.

Olympic and World Success Continues

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Olga won a bronze medal in individual sabre. She also won a silver medal with her team. She won both an individual and team bronze medal at the 2016 European Fencing Championships.

In 2017, Olga won another individual gold medal at the 2017 World Fencing Championships. She also won a team silver medal at the 2018 European Fencing Championships. She was ranked first in the world in 2017–18.

At the 2019 World Fencing Championships, Olga won her sixth world championship title. She also won an individual gold medal at the 2019 European Fencing Championships. She was ranked first in the world in 2019–20 and 2020–21.

Recent Challenges and Triumphs

In 2023, Olga competed at the 2023 World Fencing Championships. She won her match against a Russian fencer. After the match, Olga offered to tap blades with her opponent, which was the accepted way to end a match at the time. However, she was disqualified because the rules had changed back to requiring a handshake.

The next day, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sent Olga a letter. He said she was guaranteed a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The FIE then changed its mind and let Olga compete in the team event at the 2023 World Championships.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Kharlan with her teammates at the victory ceremony of the women's team sabre event at Paris 2024

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Olga won a bronze medal in individual women's sabre. This was Ukraine's first medal at the Paris 2024 Games. With this medal, she became the first Ukrainian female Olympian to win medals at four different Olympic Games.

Olga then became the most awarded Ukrainian Olympian ever. She and her teammates reached the final of the women's team sabre event. Olga scored 22 touches, helping her team defeat South Korea. They won Ukraine's first gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics!

Awards and Recognition

Order of Princess Olga, First Class

Ukrainian Order of Merit, first class

Olga Kharlan has received many honors for her achievements. She was added to the Hall of Fame of the International Fencing Federation.

She has been awarded several important Ukrainian honors. These include the Order of Princess Olga (first, second, and third class) and the Ukrainian Orders of Merit (first, second, and third class). In August 2024, she received the National Legend of Ukraine award. She also received the Order of Liberty.

Olga was named sportswoman of the year in Ukraine four times. In 2020, a Barbie doll was made in her honor. It was part of a series celebrating famous women. In 2023, Olga auctioned off her unique Barbie doll. She did this to raise money for a clinic helping Ukrainian military personnel.

Medal Record

Olympic Games

Year	Location	Event	Position
2008	Beijing, China	Team Women's Sabre	1st
2012	London, United Kingdom	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2016	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
		Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2024	Paris, France	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
		Team Women's Sabre	1st

World Championships

Year	Location	Event	Position
2007	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2009	Antalya, Turkey	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd
2009	Antalya, Turkey	Team Women's Sabre	1st
2010	Paris, France	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd
2010	Paris, France	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2011	Catania, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2011	Catania, Italy	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2012	Kyiv, Ukraine	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2013	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2013	Budapest, Hungary	Team Women's Sabre	1st
2014	Kazan, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2014	Kazan, Russia	Team Women's Sabre	3rd
2015	Moscow, Russia	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2017	Leipzig, Germany	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2019	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Women's Sabre	1st

European Championships

Year	Location	Event	Position
2007	Ghent, Belgium	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2008	Kyiv, Ukraine	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2009	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2009	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	Team Women's Sabre	1st
2010	Leipzig, Germany	Team Women's Sabre	1st
2011	Sheffield, United Kingdom	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2011	Sheffield, United Kingdom	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2012	Legnano, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2012	Legnano, Italy	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2013	Zagreb, Croatia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2013	Zagreb, Croatia	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2014	Strasbourg, France	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2014	Strasbourg, France	Team Women's Sabre	3rd
2015	Montreux, Switzerland	Team Women's Sabre	3rd
2016	Toruń, Poland	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2016	Toruń, Poland	Team Women's Sabre	3rd
2018	Novi Sad, Serbia	Team Women's Sabre	2nd
2019	Düsseldorf, Germany	Individual Women's Sabre	1st

Grand Prix

Date	Location	Event	Position
2006-02-24	Budapest, Hungary	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2008-03-20	Algiers, Algeria	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2009-02-06	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd
2009-02-15	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2009-03-13	Foggia, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2010-02-05	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2010-03-12	Lamezia Terme, Italy	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2010-03-19	Tunis, Tunisia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2010-05-28	Tianjin, China	Individual Women's Sabre	2nd
2011-03-26	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2011-05-21	Tianjin, China	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2012-03-16	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2013-02-01	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2013-03-22	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2014-01-31	Orléans, France	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2014-05-24	Beijing, China	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2014-12-13	New York City, U.S.	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2015-03-28	Seoul, South Korea	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2015-05-29	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2016-05-28	Moscow, Russia	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2017-12-15	Cancún, Mexico	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2018-03-30	Seoul, South Korea	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2019-02-22	Cairo, Egypt	Individual Women's Sabre	3rd
2019-04-26	Seoul, South Korea	Individual Women's Sabre	1st
2020-01-10	Montreal, Canada	Individual Women's Sabre	1st

Olga's Political Interests

Olga Kharlan briefly explored a career in politics. In 2010, she was elected to the Mykolaiv City Council. She was often away because of her fencing. She also tried to become a member of the Ukrainian Parliament in 2012. However, she was not elected. In 2014, she decided to focus fully on her sports career.

See also

In Spanish: Olha Jarlán para niños