Olga
Kharlan
Ukraine
·
Fencing
Date of birth | 4 September 1990 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Mykolaiv, Ukraine |
Age | 35 |
Nationality | Ukraine |
Career start | 2004 |
Disciplines | Fencing |
Fencing under the guidance of her godfather from the age of 10, Olga quickly swapped her childhood dream of becoming a world-class dancer – she was a natural at the Cha-Cha and Samba – opting for something a touch more aggressive.
Quick and nimble on her feet, she soon found her forte in fencing and quickly began to dominate in competition. The stage was set for great success.
The Ukrainian shared the team gold in Beijing in 2008, which she followed up with individual bronze in London in 2012 and also in Rio in 2016, where she shared team silver, before adding another team gold and an individual bronze in Paris in 2024 to become her nation's most-decorated Olympian.
Olga was voted Ukrainian sportswoman of the year for two years running and has added a further string of gold medals at European Championship level, both in team and solo competitions. To add to this, she currently has four gold medals from World Championships – in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019 – and has topped the world rankings on multiple occasions, securing her place as a sabre-wielding star.
Olga has a softer side hidden under the body armour and admits she’s freaked out by spiders and cockroaches and names her parents as the most important people in her life.