Ukrainian wrestler and lawmaker Zhan Beleniuk, who just won Ukraine’s only gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, was accosted in central Kyiv for the color of his skin, he wrote on Facebook on Aug. 13.
The 30-year-old athlete, whose father was Rwandan, said a group of young men came up to him and tried to start a fight, yelling insults like “a black monkey knows something about patriotism?” and telling him to “go back to Africa.”
Beleniuk said the situation did not escalate into violence, but it did raise several questions.
“Thank God it didn’t come to a fight so I’m okay,” he wrote. “But…”
“1. Am I a Ukrainian to this nation?”
“2. To what extent can an Olympic champion feel safe in one’s own homeland and hometown?”
“3. Is it normal in a European country to hear insults to people who have dedicated their lives to bring it glory?”
The reported attack happened a week after Beleniuk defeated Hungary’s Viktor Lorincz in the 87-kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling match at the Tokyo Olympics and claimed the top prize for Ukraine.
When he isn’t winning Ukraine’s first Olympic gold for wrestling in 25 years and claiming victories in other prestigious international competitions, Beleniuk devotes a big part of his life to politics.
In 2019, the wrestler became Ukraine’s first black member of parliament, joining President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 243-member Servant of the People faction. Beleniuk serves as the deputy head of the parliamentary committee on youth and sports.
Once he retires from professional sport, he said he will dedicate all his time to Ukrainian politics. He had previously stated that he will be retiring after the Tokyo Olympics but as of now, no such announcement has been made.
Beleniuk has lived in Kyiv his whole life. He grew up in a one-room apartment with his Ukrainian family and began wrestling when he was nine years old.
