Ukraine's Underwater Sports Team Triumphs at World Cup
Ukraine's national underwater sports team achieved a remarkable haul of 29 medals at the World Cup stage held in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy. The team's success, comprising 13 gold, 7 silver, and 9 bronze medals, was secured across three age categories: seniors, juniors, and youth. The competition in underwater sports, which includes fin swimming and pool events, showcased the exceptional skill and preparation of the Ukrainian athletes.
Notable gold medal performances among the senior athletes included:
- Oleksii Zakharov, who won gold in the 200m surface swimming with scuba event;
- Yevheniia Tymoshenko, who claimed the championship title in the 100m bi-fins discipline;
- Anna Yakovleva, who secured gold medals in the 200m, 400m, and 800m fin swimming events.
Team relay events also contributed to Ukraine's gold medal count. The 4x100m medley relay team of Artem Korniiev, Yevheniia Tymoshenko, Oleksandr Kuzmenko, and Yelyzaveta Hrechykhina won gold. The men's 4x100m fin swimming relay team, featuring Serhii Smishchenko, Oleksandr Kuzmenko, David Yeliseiev, and Oleksii Zakharov, also earned a top-place finish.
Ukrainian Athletes Also Claim Silver and Bronze
Ukrainian competitors delivered strong performances to earn silver medals as well. Yevheniia Tymoshenko won silver in the 50m bi-fins, while Anna Yakovleva took silver in the 100m fin swimming. Artem Korniiev also became a silver medalist in the 400m bi-fins. The women's 4x100m fin swimming relay team of Yelyzaveta Hrechykhina, Tetiana Penina, Sofia Hrechko, and Anna Yakovleva secured a silver medal for Ukraine.
Bronze medals were awarded to:
- Sofia Hrechko in the 200m fin swimming;
- Artem Korniiev in the 200m bi-fins;
- David Yeliseiev in the 50m fin swimming;
- Vitalii Hora in the 400m surface swimming with scuba.
This World Cup success stands in stark contrast to the Ukrainian team's performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where they concluded the Games without winning a single medal. Underwater sports, governed by CMAS, are distinct from Olympic aquatics but demonstrate the country's depth of athletic talent. Ukrainian athletes did, however, achieve eight top-ten finishes across various Winter Olympic disciplines. These included sixth-place results for Angelina Brykina, Oleksandr Okipniuk, and Dmytro Kotovskyi in freestyle skiing, as well as for the luge team. Seventh place was earned by Oleksandra Moh and Olena Stetskiv in women's doubles luge, while the mixed biathlon relay team finished eighth. Ninth place went to the biathlon relay team of Oleksandra Merkushyna, Yuliia Dzhima, Khrystyna Dmytrenko, and Dariia Chalyk, and tenth-place finishes were secured by Kateryna Kotsar in freestyle skiing, Oleksandr Okipniuk in ski aerials, and Vitalii Mandzyn in biathlon.
The Ukrainian athletes' success at the Underwater Sports World Cup underscores their high level of training and the growing popularity of the sport within the country.
Despite the lack of medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, results from international competitions in other disciplines highlight the potential of Ukrainian athletes. Achievements like these at the World Cup can serve as a powerful incentive for the further development of underwater sports and other athletic pursuits in Ukraine.