Hanna Victorivna Knyazyeva-Minenko ( ua, Ганна Вікторівна Князєва-Міненко, he, חנה קנייזבה-מיננקו; born 25 September 1989) is a former

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

and a current

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

er and

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

er. She established a personal best in August 2015 of 14.78 meters (m) in the triple jump while winning the silver medal at the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

. She competed for her native

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in the women’s triple jump event, coming in fourth with a jump of 14.56 m. She immigrated to Israel and became an

Israeli citizen Israeli citizenship law details the conditions by which a person holds citizenship of Israel. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the 1950 Law of Return and 1952 Citizenship Law. Every Jew in the world has ...

in early 2013 on account of marriage to an Israeli citizen, and has represented

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

since then. At the 77th Israeli Athletics Championships in early July 2013, Knyazyeva-Minenko established a new Israeli record in winning the women's triple jump with a distance of 14.50 m. At the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games Diamond League competition in London later that month, she won a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

with a distance of 14.29 m in the triple jump. In September 2013 at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Challenge in Zagreb, Croatia, she jumped 14.38 m and won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the triple jump. At the 78th Israel national championships in 2014, Knyazyeva-Minenko won a gold medal in the long jump while setting a new Israeli record and personal best with a distance of 6.52 m. She won a bronze medal in the triple jump at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague in March 2015, becoming the first Israeli woman to win a track and field medal at a major European championship. She jumped a distance of 14.49 m, setting a new Israeli national indoor record. Competing for

Israel at the 2015 European Games Israel competed at the 2015 European Games, in Baku, Azerbaijan from 12 to 28 June 2015. The 2015 European Games represents Israel's largest ever delegation to a sports competition. Prior to the start of the event Israel planned to send 141 ath ...

in June 2015, she won the triple jump competition that formed part of the Athletics event at the

2015 European Games The 2015 European Games, also known as Baku 2015 or Baku 2015 European Games ( az, Bakı 2015 Avropa Oyunları), were the inaugural edition of the European Games, an international multi-sport event for athletes representing the National Olympic ...

, though no individual medal was awarded to her as the competition was a team event only; she also won a bronze medal for the team event. Representing Israel at the

in Beijing, China, in August 2015, she won the silver medal in the triple jump, setting a new Israeli record of 14.78 meters. Knyazyeva-Minenko represented

Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics Israel competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's sixteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Olympic Committee of Israel confirmed a team of 47 athletes, 22 men and 25 wom ...

in the

, coming in fifth.

Early and personal life

Anna Victorivna Knyazyeva (Анна Вікторівна Князєва) was born in

Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta and Trubizh river ...

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

, to a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

family. She began training as an athlete when she was eight years old. She married Soviet Kazakh-born

i former

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...

champion Anatoly Minenko, whom she had met in a training camp, in November 2012. They reside in Israel.

Athletic career

For Ukraine

Knyazyeva won the silver medal in the triple jump at the

2007 European Athletics Junior Championships The 19th European Athletics Junior Championships were held between 19 and 22 July 2007 at the FBK-Stadium in Hengelo, in the eastern Netherlands. Medal summary Men Women Medal table See also *2007 in athletics (track and field) ...

. On 10 July 2008, she came in 4th in the triple jump at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

, Poland, with a distance of 13.61 m. She established a personal best in June 2012 of 14.71 m in the triple jump, 79 centimeters short of the world record, when she was 22 years old. Knyazyeva placed fourth for Ukraine in the women’s triple jump event at the

, with a best jump of 14.56 meters. She trailed

Olga Rypakova Olga Rypakova (russian: Ольга Сергеевна Рыпакова; née Alekseyeva; 30 November 1984) is a Kazakhstani track and field athlete. Originally a heptathlete, she switched to focus on the long jump and began to compete in the trip ...

of Kazakhstan,

Caterine Ibargüen Caterine Ibargüen Mena Order of Boyaca, ODB (born 12 February 1984) is a retired Colombian Sport of athletics, athlete competing in high jump, long jump and triple jump. Her notable achievements include a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, ...

of Colombia, and Olha Saladukha of Ukraine.

For Israel

Knyazyeva-Minenko immigrated to Israel and became an

, on account of marriage to an Israeli citizen. Her coach is Israeli Alex Merman, who formerly coached Israeli high jumper

Konstantin Matusevich Konstantin Matusevich ( he, קונסטנטין מטוסביץ, russian: Константин Матусевич; born 25 January 1971 in Kiev, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union) is a retired Ukrainian-born Israeli high jumper. His personal b ...

, and her club is Maccabi Tel Aviv. At the 77th Israeli Athletics Championships in early July 2013, she established a new Israeli record in winning the women’s triple jump with a distance of 14.50 m. Knyazyeva-Minenko won a silver medal at the 2013 IAAF Diamond League competition in Paris, jumping 14.58 m in the triple jump. At the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games Diamond League competition in London on 26 July 2013, she won a

in the triple jump with a distance of 14.29 m, behind Jamaican Kimberly Williams and Russian

Ekaterina Koneva Ekaterina Koneva (russian: Екатерина Конева; born 25 September 1988) is a Russian track and field athlete who competes in the triple jump. She is a triple-time gold medalist at the Summer Universiade. Her personal best for the event ...

2013 IAAF World Championship in Moscow Triple Jump Women Hanna KNYAZYEVA-MINENKO

At the 14th

IAAF World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 August 2013, at age 23 in her first major event representing Israel, Knyazyeva-Minenko came in 6th in the

, with a distance of 14.33 m, after posting a 14.46 m and coming in third in the qualifying round. She was the first Israeli to reach a World Championships final since Israeli Alex Averbukh in the

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

, in 2007. She observed: "I'm still young, and I’ve got many more years to represent sraeland bring it honor." On 3 September 2013 at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Challenge in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, she jumped 14.38 m in the triple jump and won a

, behind winner

Olha Saladuha Olha Saladuha ( uk, Ольга Валеріївна Саладуха, born 4 June 1983) is a Ukrainian former triple jumper. Since the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election she is a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Biography Saladuha took up a ...

of Ukraine. In 2013, she held a women's triple jump ranking of No. 4 in the Diamond League series. In 2014 Knyazyeva-Minenko had an operation to repair an injured

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

, and missed competing for most of the year as a result. However, at the 78th Israel national championships at Hadar Yosef Stadium in Tel Aviv in 2014, she won a gold medal in the

while setting a new Israeli record with a distance of 6.52 m. The distance was a new personal best for the event, and eclipsed by six centimeters Sigal Gonen’s previous Israeli record, which had stood for 28 years since 1986. Knyazyeva-Minenko won a bronze medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague in March 2015, competing for Israel in the triple jump. She jumped a distance of 14.49 meters (47.5 feet), setting a new Israeli national indoor record for the second day in a row, improving on her prior day's national record jump in the qualifiers by nine centimeters. In winning the medal, she became the first Israeli woman to win a track and field medal at a major European championship, and became the first Israeli to win a medal at the European Indoor Championships since Alex Averbukh won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in the pole vault at the 2000 European Indoor Championships. She noted: "My best jump (14.49 meters) would have won me the gold medal at the last World Championship." Russia's Ekaterina Koneva won the gold medal, and Bulgaria's Gabriela Petrova won the silver medal. At the

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, on 11 June 2015 she came in fifth in the triple jump, at 14.22 m. Competing for

on 21 June 2015, she won the triple jump portion of the Team Athletics event with a distance of 14.41 m; she also won a bronze medal for the team event. She represented Israel at the

in Beijing, China, in August 2015. She won the silver medal in the triple jump, setting a new Israeli record of 14.78 meters. Knyazyeva-Minenko represented

in the

, at the age of 26. She jumped 14.68 m in the final, for fifth place, six centimeters behind the bronze medalist. Her fifth-place finish matched the best-ever finish for an Israeli in an Olympic athletics competition, established first by high jumper

, at the 2000 Olympics.

Competition record

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knyazyeva-Minenko, Hanna 1989 births Living people Israeli female long jumpers Israeli female triple jumpers Olympic athletes of Ukraine Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Ukrainian female long jumpers Ukrainian female triple jumpers People from Pereiaslav Ukrainian emigrants to Israel Naturalized citizens of Israel World Athletics Championships athletes for Israel World Athletics Championships medalists European Games bronze medalists for Israel Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 European Games European Games medalists in athletics European Athletics Championships medalists Olympic athletes of Israel Ukrainian people of Israeli descent Competitors at the 2011 Summer Universiade Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Kyiv Oblast