Olga Gennadievna Harlan - Ukrainian champion in fencing. He has the title of Honored Master of Sports. He is the champion of the world, the Olympic Games, as well as a 7-time winner of the gold medals of the European Championship.
Olga Harlan: biography
The future Ukrainian sports star was born in Nikolaev on September 4, 1990. At the insistence of parents, from the age of 5 she was engaged in dancing. Despite some successes in the discipline presented, in 2001 she preferred fencing. Olga, her godfather Anatoly Shlikar, wrote in the appropriate circle. The girl immediately fell in love with a new sport for her. Thus, Olga Harlan forever said goodbye to dancing.
A promising athlete made her debut in major competitions in 2002. However, in the competition for the Cup of Ukraine, Harlan unexpectedly for the coaches and herself found herself in the final last position. However, failure only enraged the girl. Already in the next season, the above achievement was submitted to the young fencer.
Having made herself known to the public, Olga Harlan sent forces to advance in the international arena. The silver medal of the European Junior Championship, which the athlete won in 2004, was an unexpected revelation for everyone. Indeed, during the tournament, every fight was given to the Ukrainian fencer with special difficulty. So, in the quarterfinal battle, Olga Harlan, it would seem, hopelessly lost her opponent with a score of 11:14, but still managed to tip the scales in her direction. A similar plot was played out in the semifinals, where the young athlete won with a difference of several points only at the final stage of the battle.
2005 was not so successful for Olga. At the cadet world championship, the athlete lost to her compatriot and former teammate Nina Kozlova in the semifinal match. At the junior international championship in the same season, Harlan managed to get a bronze award, losing in the semifinal fight to the American fencer Mariel Zagunis.
Performances in the big sport
How did Olga Harlan promote her future career? Fencing, shown at the junior championships, allowed her to be in the adult national team of Ukraine, where the athlete was invited before the Olympics in Beijing, which took place in 2008. Here, in the final duel against the Chinese, the 17-year-old fencer managed to deliver 8 accurate punches in a row, which was a turning point in the decisive meeting. Thus, Olga Harlan brought in her own piggy bank the first gold Olympic award.
In 2011, a promising athlete managed to take the highest position at the Universiade, which was held in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The award was the first adult achievement for the fencer no longer in the team, but in the individual championship. The following year, Olga won the title of European champion in individual competitions.
The next gold Harlan mined at the World Cup in Belgium, which took place in 2016. Here, in a decisive duel, the fencer defeated Russian Yana Yegoryan. Moreover, the total score in the party was 15:10 in favor of the Ukrainian.
Political career
In 2010, an already recognized athlete put forward her own candidacy for the post of deputy of the city council in his native Nikolaev. As a result, Harlan was on the list of "Party of Regions" in the Verkhovna Rada. However, the success in local elections ultimately did not allow Olga to enter the country's parliament.
In 2014, the athlete left the Party of Regions list. This was followed by membership in the Green Party, as well as participation in the elections to the metropolitan city council. However, here Olga was not able to take a chair in the governing body, because her political power was not able to overcome the three-percent barrier according to the results of voting.
Personal life
Olga Harlan is married to the famous Ukrainian saber fighter Dmitry Boyko. The young people met in 2003, when the girl was only 13 years old, and her future spouse 17. However, the guy began to look after Olga only in 2011.
In 2013, Dmitry decided to present an unusual birthday present for his chosen one. Together with a bouquet of flowers, the guy presented Olga with a notepad, each page of which contained an explanation of why he was so dear to him. And on the last page was an engagement ring. Immediately after the momentous event, the couple began to plan their future wedding, which took place in the summer of 2016.
Finally
Today, despite the achievement of everything that every girl can wish, Olga Harlan continues to set ambitious goals for the future. According to the athlete herself, she is determined to win several victories at the upcoming Olympic Games, as well as once again to take the gold of the World Cup in the individual championship.