Olha Hennadiivna Kharlan (; born 4 September 1990), also known as Olga Kharlan, is a Ukrainian sabre fencer. She is a four-time individual women's world sabre champion, six-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated Ukrainian Olympian in history., Сhampion (22 October 2008) She has been ranked #1 in the world in women's sabre for five seasons: 2012–2013, 2013–2014, 2017–2018, 2019–2020 and 2020–2021.
Kharlan is also a two-time team world sabre champion, six-time individual European champion, and two-time team European champion. A five-time Olympian, she is a 2008 and 2024 team Olympic champion, 2016 team Olympic silver medalist, and three-time individual Olympic bronze medalist. Kharlan competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kharlan was inducted into the International Fencing Federation (FIE) Hall of Fame in 2016. She briefly pursued a political career during the early 2010s.
Competing at the 2023 World Fencing Championships in Milan, on 27 July 2023, a key ranking event for Olympic qualifying, Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova 15–7. After her defeat, Smirnova extended her hand to Kharlan, who in turn extended her sabre in an offer to the Russian to tap blades. Kharlan said her choice of salute was meant as a sign of respect for her opponent, while still acknowledging the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. After a long delay, during which Smirnova protested, sat on the strip for 45 minutes and refused to move, Kharlan was ultimately black-carded and eliminated from the championship by FIE officials. The Ukrainian delegation filed an appeal. The following day, in order to compensate Kharlan for her loss of an opportunity to earn Olympic qualifying points in the individual world championship and for the humiliation of the prior day's disqualification, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced that the IOC would automatically qualify her for the 2024 Summer Olympics. In addition - after consultation with the IOC - the FIE reluctantly reversed its decision barring her from the competition, opening up the opportunity for her to compete in the team world championships. However, since the individual competition had already concluded at that point, the FIE's reversal came too late to allow Kharlan to pursue her fifth world individual championship.
Personal life Kharlan was born in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Her father was a sailing and swimming coach, and taught her to swim when she was still a baby. He also moonlighted as a construction worker and a cab driver. Her mother worked as a painter and plasterer.
Kharlan's first interest was samba, cha-cha, and ballroom dancing, but the lessons were too expensive for her parents. When she was 10, her godfather, sabre coach Anatoly Shlikar, suggested that she take up fencing, where the lessons were free; she settled on the sabre as her weapon a year into training. For the first two years that she fenced, because she could not afford her own equipment, she borrowed the shoes, sabre, and fencing attire of others. She came under the training of Artem Skorokhod, who remained her coach as of 2014. Her first success was the national Junior title, which she won when she was only 13 years old, against teenagers up to five years older.
Kharlan was educated at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv. She married fellow Ukrainian sabre fencer Dmytro Boiko in 2014. They later divorced. She is married to Italian Olympic sabre fencer Luigi Samele, and they live in Bologna, Italy.
Fencing career Early years
Kharlan joined the Ukrainian national team at the age of 14, in 2005. Her first medal in an international competition was a bronze medal in the 2005 Junior World Championships in Linz, Austria. She also took a silver medal in the team event. That same year, she reached the quarter-finals in the 2005 European Fencing Championships in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, despite still being a cadet. She won four consecutive junior world titles from 2007 to 2010. She placed second in the 2006 European Seniors Fencing Championship in İzmir, Turkey, after a close 14–15 defeat against Russia's Sofiya Velikaya. In 2006–07, she ranked 2nd in the world in women's junior sabre.
At the age of 17 Kharlan competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the team event, Ukraine made their way to the final, where they met China. Kharlan contributed almost half her three-woman team's touches and proved decisive in the last bout, breaking a tie to score the last touch against 2002 world champion Tan Xue for a 45–44 team victory, helping Ukraine win the gold medal.
In the 2008–09 season Kharlan won the gold medal at the 2009 European Fencing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, both in the individual event and the team event, in which Ukraine overcame Russia. At the 2009 World Fencing Championships in Antalya, she once again made her way to the final, only to be stopped by American two-time Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis.Ukrainian women fencers win gold at World Championship, Den She was described as "one of the most precocious talents in this category. She is already steady and consistent, but above all she is the star of the future." In the team event, she and Ukraine defeated France in the final to come away with the gold medal. For this performance Kharlan and her team were named respectively sportswoman and team of the year at the Ukrainian Heroes of Sports Year ceremony held in April 2010. In 2008–09, she was ranked 2nd in the world in women's sabre.
In the 2009–10 season Kharlan won her fourth Junior World Championship in a row, equaling the record established by French épée fencer Jacques Brodin in the 1960s. She is however the only fencer to have claimed these consecutive golds both in the individual and team events. She was defeated in the quarter-finals of the 2010 European Fencing Championships and did not earn a medal. In the team event Ukraine won gold, after beating Russia once again in the final. In 2009–10, she was ranked 2nd in the world in women's sabre.
She won a gold medal in individual sabre at the 2011 Universiade in Shenzhen, China, and also won a gold medal in individual sabre at the 2011 European Fencing Championships in Sheffield, England."26th Summer Universiade; 2011; Womens Sabre; Shenzhen, China," 15 August 2011. In 2010–11, Kharlan was ranked 3rd in the world in women's sabre.
2012–15; World championships and European championships
Kharlan was offered Russian citizenship and an opportunity to compete for Russia in 2012, but refused. In 2011–12, she was again ranked 3rd in the world in women's sabre. She won a bronze medal in individual sabre at the 2012 London Olympics.Bill Chappell (1 August 2012). "U.S. Flag-Bearer Zagunis Fails To Medal In Sabre," NPR.
In the 2013 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Kharlan won her first world individual championship. She made her way to the final after defeating reigning South Korean Olympic champion Kim Ji-yeon in a tight 15–14 bout. She took an early 8–1 lead in the bout against Yekaterina Dyachenko of Russia, who managed to get back to 12–12. Kharlan then struck three hits in a row to win her first individual World title. In the team event Ukraine once again met Russia in the final. After a very tight match Kharlan managed a comeback in the last leg and received her second gold medal in the competition. She also won a gold medal in individual sabre at the 2013 Universiade in Kazan, Russia. She finished the season No.1 in world rankings for the first time in her career, and she was inducted into the hall of fame of the International Fencing Federation (Fédération Internationale d'Escrime; FIE).
In the 2013–14 season Kharlan won four World Cups out of seven competitions in which she took part. At the 2014 European Fencing Championships in Strasbourg, France, she earned her fourth European gold medal in a row and the fifth of her career after defeating Dyachenko again in the final. In the team event she had to rescue her team against underdogs Spain in the quarter-finals, scraping a 45–43 victory, but could not prevent a 45–30 defeat at the hands of France. Kharlan's contribution proved once again decisive in the match against Poland, and Ukraine came away with a bronze medal.
In March 2014, Ukrainian fencers boycotted the Moscow World Cup tournament in response to the killing of a Ukrainian soldier in the Simferopol incident. In July 2014, however, they took part in the 2014 World Fencing Championships in Russia.
In the 2014 World Fencing Championships in Kazan, Russia, Kharlan won her second individual world championship title in a row, after prevailing 15–12 over No. 2 seed Zagunis. In the team event, Ukraine was defeated 44–45 by the United States, and met Italy for third place. Again Kharlan came back in the last leg to help her team win a bronze medal. She finished the season No.1 in world rankings for the second year in a row.
In 2014–15, she was ranked 2nd in the world in women's sabre.
2016–22; Olympic Games and world championship At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she bested French competitor Manon Brunet for the bronze medal, with a score of 15–10, and in the team competition she won a silver medal. She won both an individual bronze medal and a team bronze medal in the 2016 European Fencing Championships in Toruń, Poland. In 2015–16, Kharlan was ranked 3rd in the world in women's sabre.
In the 2017 World Fencing Championships in Leipzig, Germany, she won an individual gold medal. Kharlan won a team silver medal in the 2018 European Fencing Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia. In 2017–18, she was ranked first in the world in women's sabre.
At the 2019 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Kharlan won 15–14 against Russia's Sofya Velikaya in the women's sabre finals; it was Kharlan's sixth world championship title. She won a gold individual medal in the 2019 European Fencing Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 2018–19, she was ranked 2nd in the world in women's sabre.
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Kharlan lost to China's Yang Hengyu in the first round.Альона Мазуренко (9 February 2022). Swordswoman Kharlan has decided to continue her career and is going to the 2024 Olympics, Ukrayinska Pravda In 2019–20, she was ranked first in the world in women's sabre.
In 2020–21, she was ranked first in the world in women's sabre for the fifth time in her career. Kharlan won a team bronze medal in the 2022 European Fencing Championships in Antalya, Turkey.
2023–present; World Championships Disqualification