Zhan Beleniuk

Few can claim to have such a varied career as Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk. Not only is he a current world champion Greco-Roman wrestler, with a stunning array of medals from world and European championships, he’s also a serving politician in his native Ukraine, having been elected in during the 2019 elections, just three months after becoming European champion for the third time and three months before becoming world champion for the second. In 2016, he represented his country at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, taking silver in the 85kg class.

Beleniuk was born in Kiev in January 1991, during the final days of the USSR. His mother is Ukrainian, his father Rwandan. He started wrestling at the tender age of nine, training and competing in Ukraine for several years before becoming eligible for national and international competition at cadet level. His first major success came in 2011 when he won gold at the European Junior Championships in Serbia. Later the same year, he gained a silver medal in the World Junior Championships. In 2012, he began competing at senior level, instantly winning medals at major tournaments.

Beleniuk was first crowned European champion in 2014 and world champion in 2015 (the same year he won gold at the World Military Games). His timing couldn’t have been better as this ensured qualification for the 2016 Olympics. At his first games, he took silver, losing only to Davit Chakvetadze from neighbouring Russia. Despite being a serving politician, Beleniuk will proudly represent his country at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.