Olena Bilosiuk (,

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Olena Pidhrushna (; born 9 January 1987) is a Ukrainian biathlete. She is Olympic and

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

champion and multiple medalist in different high-level competitions. Pidhrushna is considered one of Ukraine's most successful winter sports athletes. She lives in

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

Career

Her first international competition was 2005 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Monthey,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where she won two bronze medals, and 2005 Biathlon Junior World Championships in

Kontiolahti Kontiolahti (; literally meaning "bear bay") is a municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is located in the North Karelia regions of Finland, region, about north of Joensuu. The municipality has a population of () and covers an ar ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Next season she missed internationally, but on 2 March 2007, she debuted in

Biathlon World Cup The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of 1977–78 for men and 1982–83 for women. The women's seasons until 1986–87 season were called the European Cup, alt ...

by finishing 44th in sprint in

Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...

. She was enrolled in the national team for all three last World Cup stages that season but didn't gain any points. She didn't get a quota in the national team in 2007–08 season. That time she spent competing at

Biathlon European Championships The Biathlon European Championships are the top-European competitions in biathlon. The first edition was held in 1994, with sprint, pursuit, individual and relay. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Till 2015, the competit ...

and junior competitions. In 2008–09 season, she took part regularly in the relay team, and on 7 January 2009, she was in the winning relay team in German Oberhof. She represented Ukraine at the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. Her best result at that Games was rank 12 in

mass start Mass start is a format of starting in some racing sports such as long-distance running in sport of athletics, speed skating, long-distance cross-country skiing and biathlon. There are usually many competitors in such an event, and in order for ...

. 2012–13 season became one of her most successful. In the first sprint race of that season on 1 December 2012, Olena finished third in

Östersund Östersund (; ) is an Urban areas in Sweden, urban area (Stad (Sweden), city) in Jämtland in northern Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth-larg ...

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, and was second in pursuit in Italian Antholz-Anterselva in January 2013. Later on, Pidhrushna took a hat-trick of medals at the 2013 Biathlon World Championships, where she won the gold in the sprint, was part of the women's relay team which won silver, and secured a bronze in the pursuit. For these achievements, she was named Ukraine's best sportswoman of 2013. That season she ended ranking 8th in World Cup general classification. 2013–14 season started for her quite successfully, with one podium in January. Together with Juliya Dzhyma, Valj Semerenko and Vita Semerenko, she won the gold medal in the Women's relay at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

, in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia. Pidhrushna took a break in her sports career at the end of the 2013–14 season and was subsequently appointed Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports in the Ukrainian government. On 30 November 2014, she gave an interview for biathlon.com.ua, stating: "I took break in my sport career for a decree only. I can't do anything before the time the child will be born... so I must do something... I want fans to understand my decision and wait. I hope to be back in future, after the child will be born..." So she returned in November

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. Her attempts to have a child were then unsuccessful. Later she divorced her husband. Stamp of Ukraine s1368

She returned in 2015–16 season, which she started with two bronze medals in sprint and individual race in Swedish

. In mid-February she won sprint in Canmore,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. That year she achieved her best World Cup ranking – 7. Next season Pidhrushna didn't have plenty of good results, and she missed all races in March. She qualified to represent

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

. Pidhrushna carried the Ukrainian flag during the opening ceremony of the

. Due to poor physical conditions, she didn't compete in any race.

Biathlon results

Olympic Games

''1 medal (1 gold)''

World Championships

''5 medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)''

World Cup

Individual podiums

Relay podiums

Rankings

Personal life

Olena was born in

Legnica Legnica (; , ; ; ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. As well as being the seat of the county, since 1992 the city has been the seat of the Diocese of Legnica. Le ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, but she spent her childhood in Velyka Berezovytsia near

. Her family had to move because her father was a military officer. She graduated from Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University, where she studied physical training and sports. Now she is a Ph.D. student at Lviv State University of Physical Culture. Pidhrushna married Oleksiy Kayda on 26 May 2013. Kayda is a member of

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

(Ukraine's parliament) for the party Svoboda. According to Pidhrushna, her husband was attacked in December 2013 by "provocateurs" during the

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

demonstrations."За Майдан" – біатлоністки підтримали українців на врученні золотих медалей
gazeta.ua (08/12/2013) In October 2016 she declared that they divorced. During the awarding ceremony after her victory in the women's relay in Hochfilzen on 8 December 2013, she and other Ukrainian biathletes shouted "For Maidan". Pidhrushna gained at a news conference after her women's relay victory at the

a minute's silence in memory of the people who died in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

in the February 2014 Euromaidan riots.Minute's silence respected at Ukraine news conference

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

(21 February 2014) In summer 2021 Pidhrushna married the second time, with former Ukrainian cross-country skier Ivan Bilosiuk, but in January 2025 she declared that they divorced.«Не хотіла б про це говорити». Олімпійська чемпіонка Олена Підгрушна розлучилась з другим чоловіком
(6 January 2025)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bilosiuk, Olena 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Legnica Biathletes from Lower Silesian Voivodeship Dynamo Sports Club sportspeople Ukrainian female biathletes Biathletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics Biathletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics Biathletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics Olympic biathletes for Ukraine Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics Olympic medalists in biathlon Olympic gold medalists for Ukraine Biathlon World Championships medalists Ukrainian sportsperson-politicians 21st-century Ukrainian women politicians Laureates of the Prize of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for special achievements of youth in the development of Ukraine 21st-century Ukrainian sportswomen