The saber of Olga Kharlan, a Ukrainian fencer and Olympic gold medalist, sold for Hr 10 million (about $242,000) at an auction, the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation said on Aug. 15.
The funds will be used to purchase Ukrainian-made "ShaBlia" turrets, bulletproof automated systems, for Ukraine's infantry.
All funds will be allocated to purchase for Ukraine's infantry Ukrainian-made "ShaBlia" turrets, bulletproof automated systems for machine guns, according to the foundation.
Kharlan won Ukraine's first medal at the Paris Olympics, taking bronze in the women's individual saber event on July 29. She also secured Ukraine's first gold medal of the 2024 Games alongside fencers Olena Kravatska, Alina Komashchuk, and Yuliia Bakastova.
The saber auctioned by the foundation was the one she used in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Metalist 1925, a Kharkiv-based Ukrainian football club, won the auction.
"This Sabre has already brought one victory and its price will soon bring victories on the battlefield," the foundation said.
Kharlan's gold medal made her Ukraine's most decorated Olympian, with six medals in total. Swimmer Yana Klochkova, who retired in 2008, holds five Olympic medals.
Kharlan's achievements include two gold medals, a silver medal in the 2016 team event, and three individual bronze medals (2012, 2016, 2024).
She has also become a prominent figure for Ukrainian athletes opposing Russia's aggression. Her status was solidified in July 2023 when she refused to shake hands with Russian opponent Anna Smirnova at the world championships in Milan. This led to her disqualification and cost her valuable Olympic qualifying points.
Despite this, Kharlan and her teammates qualified for the Paris Olympics on their own merit, although she received a guaranteed entry from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, a former fencer himself.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
