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Winning his first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo after taking a months-long break from parliament, Ukrainian lawmaker Zhan Beleniuk is set to repeat his successful run and quit wrestling for good.
The 33-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler from Kyiv has been contemplating retirement for years, acknowledging that combining parliament work and professional sports isn't an easy task.
Even before taking office, Beleniuk had an accomplished career, winning the European and World Championships and reaching the Olympics final in 2016, yet lost to Russian wrestler Davit Chakvetadze and took silver.
Winning a seat in parliament with the governing Servant of the People party and becoming deputy head of the parliament's sports committee, Beleniuk made it clear that he wasn't done with sports, aiming for one final achievement – Olympic gold.
Winning Ukraine's only gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was a perfect ending to a stunning career. Yet, as he says it now, Russia's all-out war pulled the lawmaker back to the wrestling mat.
"I feel the need, while I still have the strength, to show my best in sports, to bring glory to my country, and to please the fans with my results," Beleniuk said before he won the qualification to represent Ukraine at the 2024 Paris Olympics seeking to win another gold medal.
Kateryna Hodunova
Protests against Russian, Belarusian athletes
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, most sports federations suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.
In March 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that representatives of Russia and Belarus be allowed to compete as neutral athletes without state symbols.
Only those athletes who did not support Russia's invasion of Ukraine and were not part of any military sports clubs could participate in international tournaments.
The United World Wrestling (UWW), headed by Serbian Nenad Lalovic, was one of the first to bring Russians and Belarusians back to the international stage, soon closing its eyes on the IOCs recommendations.
"Of course, Lalovic in the federation, considering his ties to Russia and the country's top leadership, will continue to take steps in this direction," Beleniuk told Suspilne Sport in December 2023.
"In our sport, we will not be able to control the situation in any way. The Russian lobby is too powerful," he added.
Among those allowed to compete by UWW were Russian Olympic champions Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Zaurbek Sidakov, and Zaur Uguev, who took part in a pro-government rally, which marked the eighth anniversary of the Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimea.
"They (in the international federation) said that the presence of athletes close to the country's top political leadership is not a direct sign that they support the government's actions," Beleniuk said in an interview with Channel 24.
"This is how you can justify absolutely everyone. You can stand next to a political leader but (apparently) at the same time be 'against' him," he added.
After Russian and Belarusian athletes were welcomed back to international sports events, the Ukrainian government passed a decree banning Ukrainians from participating in competitions in which those athletes take part.
Ukraine, at the same time, did not publicly declare an official boycott.
This decree lasted for about three months and was canceled when the IOC allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympics only under a neutral flag.
Yet, much time was wasted, with most Ukrainian athletes missing some Olympic qualifying tournaments and key competitions, not knowing what to expect.
According to Beleniuk, the Ukrainian wrestling team found out they would be able to compete at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, two months before the competition.
Despite a rushed preparation, Beleniuk was able to win bronze and an Olympic quota for Ukraine.
Kateryna Denisova
Mixed reviews
After winning the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Beleniuk took a break from competing for gold, while competing for office.
In November 2022, he ran to take charge of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine but lost to Vadym Gutzeit, former sports minister and 1992 Olympic fencing champion.
In parliament, Beleniuk's performance was also less memorable than on the wrestling mat.
From early 2022 until May 2023, Beleniuk, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's ruling party missed 49% of the votes, according to Chesno, a Ukrainian NGO vetting politicians and publishing their voting records.
Meanwhile, Beleniuk began to wrestle again, following a two year gap. Since then he won two bronze medals – one at the World Championships and the second at the European one.
Paris Olympics
In early July, the Russian national wrestling team announced it would not participate in the Olympic Games in Paris because the list of eligible athletes was intended to "undermine the unity of the team."
Alan Ostaev, who competes in the same weight class as Beleniuk, will be among those who will miss the Olympics. But Beleniuk may still face Russian natives, namely Serbian wrestler Aleksander Komarov and Turpal Bisultanov, who now represents Denmark.
Although two athletes from the same country cannot compete in the same weight class at the Olympic Games, Beleniuk may also meet Ukrainian Semen Novikov, who now represents Bulgaria.
Said to be Beleniuk's successor, Novikov was never given a chance to prove himself for Ukraine since Beleniuk never retired.
"We agreed that we would meet with him in the finals for Olympic gold," Beleniuk told Suspilne Sport.
Beleniuk will begin his last Olympics on Aug. 7 with a bout against Chinese wrestler Qian Haitao.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
