Olga Kharlan

Olga Kharlan, a four-time individual women’s world sabre champion and six-time individual European champion, has consistently held the World No. 1 position in women’s sabre for five seasons, including 2012–2013, 2013–2014, and 2020–2021. After joining the Ukrainian national team in 2005, she earned bronze and silver medals at the Junior World Championships that year. Kharlan secured her first major international success with a silver at the 2006 European Seniors Fencing Championship, followed by a gold medal in team sabre at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

1 for the first time, leading to her induction into the FIE Hall of Fame. She maintained her top ranking in 2014, securing her fourth consecutive European gold and second consecutive individual World Championship. Kharlan added to her Olympic collection at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, taking individual bronze and team silver medals. Following these Games, she continued to excel, winning an individual gold at the 2017 World Fencing Championships and ranking first in the world for the 2017-18 season.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kharlan earned an individual bronze and a team gold, becoming the first Ukrainian female to medal at four different Olympic Games and solidifying her status as Ukraine’s most decorated Olympian. Her Olympic saber was auctioned for Hr 10 million ($242,000) for the war effort, and she was awarded the National Legend of Ukraine and Order of Liberty in 2024.