Greco-Roman wrestler Zhan Beleniuk won Ukraine’s first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on August 4. The 30-year-old Kyiv native, who became Ukraine’s first Black lawmaker in 2019 and was subsequently sanctioned by Russia, celebrated his win with a traditional folk dance. Beleniuk took home a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and has won both European and world championships multiple times. However, in conversation with journalists after his win, the wrestler revealed that he almost didn’t compete in Tokyo after sustaining a shoulder injury three weeks before the start of the games.
Meduza: Ukraine’s first Black lawmaker won the country’s first gold at the Tokyo Olympics
Gold medalist Ukraine's Zhan Beleniuk poses after the men's greeko-roman 87kg wrestling competition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo on August 4, 2021.
