Ukrainian school janitor becomes jiu-jitsu world champion

by Artur KorniienkoNovember 16, 2021 10:01 pm

Ihor Yevtushenko had to rely on crowdfunding to scrape together the $700 he needed to fly to Abu Dhabi and enter the tournament in which he triumphed over all his competitors.

The 49-year-old from Kherson had previously been the champion of Ukraine and Europe in the under 69 kilogram category.

A former diver, he began practicing jiu-jitsu after work at age 42 to stay in shape.

Artur Korniienko

Culture reporter

Artur Korniienko is a culture writer at the Kyiv Independent. He previously reported on Ukrainian literature, art, music, film and social issues for the Kyiv Post, including the controversial Babyn Yar memorial and other development projects opposed by the community. In 2021, he ran a podcast about Ukrainian migrant workers for RFE/RL on the Vaclav Havel Fellowship in Prague. With a Master's in Journalism from the Ukrainian Catholic University, Korniienko had also worked as a freelance journalist and a TV correspondent.

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