World champion Olha Kharlan is a sabre fencer from Ukraine. Kharlan has won two European team championships, six individual European championships, two world team championships, and four world individual championships. She has competed in four Olympic games and has won a team silver medal in 2016, a team gold medal in 2008, and two bronze medals for individuals. Kharlan participated in the Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing, in London in 2012, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and in Tokyo in 2021.
Out of the seven competitions Kharlan participated in during the 2013–14 season, she won four World Cups. After overcoming Dyachenko once more in the championship match, she won her fifth career gold medal at the European Championships in Strasbourg. In the team competition, she had to save her squad from defeat by Spain in the quarterfinals, eking out a 45-43 victory, but she was powerless to stop France from beating her team 45-30. Again, Kharlan’s effort was crucial in the game against Poland, and Ukraine won the bronze medal. After defeating the No. 2 seed Zagunis 15-12, Kharlan won her second consecutive victory at the World Championships. In the team competition, Ukraine lost to the United States 44–45 and competed against Italy for third place. In the last leg, Kharlan came back once more to give her team the bronze. She was ranked first at the end of the season for the second time in a row.
Kharlan received the 2009 Ukrainian Heroes of Sports Year award for athlete of the year. She briefly tried her hand at politics. Despite residing in Kyiv, Kharlan was chosen by the Party of Regions to serve on the Mykolaiv City Council in the municipal elections held in Ukraine in 2010.
