Olha Zavhorodnya (born 6 January 1983) is a

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 ...

athlete who specializes in the 400 metres and

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

. She is the most famous athlete to come from the small industrial town of

Pryluky Pryluky ( uk, Прилу́ки ) is a city and municipality located on the Udai River in Chernihiv Oblast, north-central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Pryluky Raion (district). Located nearby is the Pryluky air base, a ma ...

. She finished eighth in the 400 metres at the 2005 Summer Universiade, and also won a bronze medal in the

4 x 400 metres relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

. At the 2007 Summer Universiade she won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. She also competed at the 2007 World Championships, and was on the 2007 European Indoor Championships team that was disqualified. Her personal best times are 52.13 seconds in the 400 metres, achieved in July 2007 in

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loca ...

; and 1:59.56 minutes in the 800 metres, achieved in August 2011 in Shenzhen, China. She retired in August 2016 with an achilles injury that dashed her hopes at making the 2016 Olympic Team. Upon retirement, she received a scholarship to study the Korean language with th
ISR Sports Academy
After the end of the program, she enrolled in Korean language classes at

Pukyong National University Pukyong National University (PKNU) is a national university in Busan, South Korea, formed in 1996. The university has two campuses, Daeyeon-dong and Yongdang-dong, situated near the coastal district of Nam-gu. PKNU has a traditional focus on fi ...

and now lives in Busan. She works as a coach in both Ukraine and Korea.

References

1983 births Living people Ukrainian female sprinters Ukrainian female middle-distance runners Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games gold medalists for Ukraine FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Ukraine Competitors at the 2005 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2007 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2011 Summer Universiade 21st-century Ukrainian sportswomen {{Ukraine-athletics-bio-stub