Paris (France): Ukraine's Member of Parliament (MP) Zhan Beleniuk clinched the bronze medal in the 85 kg Greco-Roman category in the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday. Beleniuk defeated Poland's Arkadiusz Kulynycz 3-1 in the bronze medal bout.
Following his podium finish, the 33-year-old announced his retirement from professional wrestling to focus more on his career in politics.
The grappler, who began wrestling at the age of nine, won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games while this time, he has won bronze.
Back in 2019, Beleniuk became the first black member of the Ukrainian parliament and was elected as a member of the Servant of the People political party.
After his splendid performance in Paris, he also displayed concerns about the future of his country amid the war with Russia.
"Today, I am very happy that I can take the medal. But for me, as a Ukrainian citizen, and as a Ukrainian athlete, it is very important that Ukraine should be in the future. Because we don't know about our future, unfortunately," Beleniuk was quoted as saying.
The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist has been vocal about their experiences with racism and has used his platform to advocate for change. His career in wrestling has been marked by his determination to achieve success in tackling prejudice and promoting equality.
