Rodion Mykhailovych Luka (; born 29 October 1972) is a Ukrainian yachtsman, Merited Sports Master, silver medallist of the Olympic Games 2004, Class 49er World Champion 2005, European Champion, and Sportsman 2005 in Ukraine. In August 2015 Luka was elected as the President of the Sailing Federation of Ukraine.

Biography

Rodion Luka went to the Vyshhorod (Ukraine, Kyiv region) secondary school. When he was 11, he quit playing the piano at the music school and took to sailing. He gained his first experience in this field during practice sessions at the Kyiv Reservoir. In 1985, Luka bore the bell in sailing – he won the USSR (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) “Republican Regatta” and started preparing for the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) Youth Championship. In 1988, he won all the youth competitions, including the Ukrainian Championship and USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) Championship. Henceforward, Rodion Luka starts going in for sailing professionally.

Education

In 1995, Luka graduated from the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine, with a specialization in “Professional and Olympic Sports Management”.. Luka then graduated from Kyiv State Maritime Academy with the specialization “Navigator, Ship Driver” in 1999.

Professional achievements

Rodion Luka obtained his first international prize in 1993. He became the gold medallist in the Warnemünde Laser-Radial-Class Regatta, and bronze medallist in the European Championship in Sardinia (Italy). *In 1994, the sportsman captured silver of the European Championship in England and World Championship in Japan. *In 1996, Rodion Luka represents Ukraine in the Laser-Class Olympic Games. *Next year, he starts the Olympic Sydney 2000 49er-Class Campaign together with Georgiy Leonchuk. *In 1999, Rodion Luka obtains a license to compete in the Olympics 2000, where he ranks the tenth. Coincidently, he takes the title of the Champion of Australia and wins the bronze in the 49er-Class European Championship. *In 2000s, Rodion Luka made the greatest professional breakthrough in yachting sport. He and his team headed the list in the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Ranking (2002-2003), won the 49er-class championship and took the lead in the world ranking (2005). *In 2005, Rodion Luka obtains the title of the Sportsman of the Year in Ukraine according to the National Olympic Committee. *In 2008, he becomes a bronze medalist of the European and World Championships, and in 2012 – SB20-Class Champion of England, Russia and Europe.

Volvo Ocean Race

In 2008–2009, Luka was the only Ukrainian who competed in the most prestigious

Volvo Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

global sailing regatta on the “Kasatka (Killer Whale)” yacht as a steersman for

Team Russia Team Russia was the name of the Russian backed entry in the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race. Team Russia was founded by Oleg Zherebtsov, the founder of the Lenta hypermarket chain in Russia. Zherebstov met former Olympic sailor and professional sk ...

Coaching and training

*In 2012–2013, Rodion Luka works as the RC44-class coach. *In 2012, he establishes the yachting school – KievRacingYachtClub. The Club created the conditions for yachting for the people who have neither time, nor money to buy and maintain own yachts. The Club organizes amateur regattas; the Club teams continuously participate in international competitions.

Career highlights

;World Championships :1997 –

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, 32nd, 49er :1998 –

Bandol Bandol (; ) is a commune in Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southeastern France. Bandol and the seat of its eponymous commune, was founded in 1595 and built around a small military fort. The region, located near the coast ...

, 14th, 49er :1999 –

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, 15th, 49er :2001 –

Malcesine Malcesine is a ''comune'' (municipality) on the eastern shore of Lake Garda in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about northwest of Verona. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The ...

, 3rd, 49er :2002 –

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, 5th, 49er :2003 –

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

, 3rd, 49er (with George Leonchuk) :2004 –

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, 14th, 49er :2005 –

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, 1st, 49er :2006 –

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.49er (with George Leonchuk) :2007 –

Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Port ...

, 14th, 49er (with George Leonchuk) :2008 –

Sorrento Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...

, 3rd, 49er (with George Leonchuk) ;Summer Olympics :

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

–

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 35th,

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

–

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, 10th, 49er (with George Leonchuk) :

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

–

, 2nd, 49er (with George Leonchuk) ;European Championships :1996 –

Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It is ...

, 21st,

:1998 –

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, 18th, 49er :2000 –

Medemblik Medemblik () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West Friesland (region), West-Frisia. It lies immediately south of the polder and former municipality of Wieringermeer. History Med ...

, 3rd, 49er :2001 – Brest, 4th, 49er :2002 –

Grimstad Grimstad () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the Grimstad (to ...

, 8th, 49er :2003 – Laredo, 9th, 49er :2004 – Torbole sul Garda, 16th, 49er :2005 –

Vallensbæk Vallensbæk is a seaside western suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Greater Copenhagen Area. It forms its own municipality, Vallensbæk Municipality, which is one of the smallest Danish municipalities. It borders Køge Bay, and the ...

, 10th, 49er :2006 – Weymouth, 10th, 49er :2007 –

Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...

, 13th, 49er (with George Leonchuk) ;Other achievements :2000 –

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

Kiel Week The Kiel Week () or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is considered to be one of the largest sailing events globally, and also the largest summer festivals in Northern Europe, ...

, 2nd, 49er :2001 –

, Spa Regatta, 1st, 49er :2001 –

, 2nd, 49er :2002 –

, Spa Regatta, 2nd, 49er :2003 –

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...

Semaine Olympique Française The Semaine Olympique Française () is a sailing regatta organised in Hyères by the French Sailing Federation, whose 2023 edition is the 54th edition and open to women's ILCA 6, men's ILCA 7, mixed 470, men's 49er, women's 49er FX, mixed Na ...

, 1st, 49er :2003 –

, Spa Regatta, 3rd, 49er :2005 –

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Rolex Miami OCR, 2nd, 49er :2006 –

, Rolex Miami OCR, 3rd, 49er :2006 –

, North American Championships, 3rd, 49er

References

External links

* * *
49er World Championships

OUTTERIDGE And AUSTIN Win 49er World Title
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luka, Rodion 1972 births Living people Ukrainian male sailors (sport) Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Laser Sailors at the 2000 Summer Olympics – 49er Sailors at the 2004 Summer Olympics – 49er Sailors at the 2008 Summer Olympics – 49er Olympic sailors for Ukraine Olympic silver medalists for Ukraine Olympic medalists in sailing Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics 49er class world champions Volvo Ocean Race sailors World champions in sailing for Ukraine