Olga became the record holder for the longest interval between two gold medals in fencing at the Olympic Games.
Ukrainian sabre fencer Olga Harlan set a historical record in fencing, winning gold at the Olympic games-2024.
At the Paris Olympics, 33-year-old Harlan triumphed in the team event along with Elena Kravatskaya, Alina Komashchuk and Yulia Bakastova.
This is the second Olympic gold medal in Harlan's career. She won her first top-class Olympic award at her debut Olympics in Beijing in 2008, when she won team gold with Olga Zhovnir, Galina Pundik and Elena Khomrova.
So 16 years have passed between Harlan's Olympic gold medals. This is an absolute record. No one in the history of women's fencing has had such a long pause between two Olympic gold medals.
The previous record belonged to Soviet foil fencers Alexandra Zabelina and Galina Gorokhova, who won gold together as a team 12 years apart at the 1960 and 1972 Olympic Games.
“Kharlan is staying, the team is changing. I don't believe this is happening. We still communicate with the team that was in Beijing, we are still a team. This is their medal too,” Olga said in a commentary to Suspilna Sport after winning the final.
It should be noted that Kharlan won two medals at the Paris Olympics. In addition to the team gold, she won bronze in the individual championship.
For Kharlan, the gold at the Paris 2024 team competition was the sixth Olympic award in her career. At the previous Olympic Games, she won four medals: she became the 2008 Olympic champion and the 2016 silver medalist in the team tournament, and also won bronze medals in the individual championship at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Thus, Harlan became the absolute record holder of Ukraine for medals won at the Olympics.
“Gold” in team sabre is Ukraine's first top-class award at the 2024 Olympics.