Paralympics 2024, Day 4: Ukraine Secures First Gold Medals in Athletics and Silver in Rowing

Ukrainian athlete Oksana Zubkovska has won the gold medal in the women’s long jump (T12 classification) at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, marking the first gold for the Ukrainian team in athletics at these Games.

Zubkovska took the lead with her initial jump of 5.64 meters and extended her advantage in the second attempt, jumping 5.75 meters. Her winning jump, which secured the gold medal, came in her fifth attempt, reaching 5.78 meters, a personal season-best. Her closest competitor, Spain’s Sara Martínez, finished with a jump of 5.40 meters, while Algeria’s Lynda Hamri took third place with a jump of 5.30 meters.

This victory marks the 43-year-old Zubkovska’s fifth consecutive Paralympic gold medal in long jump, a streak that began with her debut at the 2008 Beijing Games. In London 2012, she also set the current world record in her classification with a jump of 6.60 meters.

Additionally, Roman Polianskyi brought Ukraine its first medal in rowing at the 2024 Paralympics, winning silver in the PR1 men’s single sculls. Polianskyi maintained second place throughout the 2000-meter race, finishing 10.63 seconds behind Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard, who took the gold.

On September 1, Ukrainian swimmer Yevhenii Bohodaiiko secured a bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2024 Paralympic Games. In the final, Bohodaiiko finished third, earning Ukraine another spot on the podium. His fellow Ukrainian, Andrii Trusov, also competed in the same event, finishing with the sixth-best time.

Also on September 1, Artem Kolinko made history by winning Ukraine’s first-ever medal in boccia at the Paralympic Games, claiming bronze. In the semifinals, Kolinko faced Colombia’s Edilson Chica Chica but was narrowly defeated 3-1. However, in the bronze medal match, he triumphed over Croatia’s Davor Komar, securing this historic victory.

Ukrainian team has collected 23 medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games, including 10 silver medals.