Olga Butkevych

Olga Butkevych (born 3 January 1986) is a Ukrainian-born British wrestler. She is a European Wrestling Championship and World Wrestling Championship bronze medallist. She was Great Britain's sole wrestler at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Olga Butkevych
Weight60 kg (132 lb)[1]
Born (1986-01-03) 3 January 1986
Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Olympic team United Kingdom
StatusActive
Olga Butkevych
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Freestyle wrestling
World Championships
2012 Strathcona CountyWomen's 59kg
European Championships
2011 Dortmund Women's 59kg

Early life

Butkevych was born on 3 January 1986 in Zaporizhia,[2] Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.[3]

Career

Butkevych was brought to Britain in 2007 by Nikolei Kornieiev, the Ukrainian-born coach of the British team, to help with training and to act as a sparring partner for British wrestlers.[4] She began competing for Great Britain at wrestling competitions, including the World Championships, where national citizenship is not required.[5] She took third place in the women's 59 kilograms (130 lb) competition at the European Wrestling Championships in April 2011, her first international medal for Great Britain.[6] She placed second in the 2012 Summer Olympics wrestling test event in December 2011.[7]

For Butkevych to compete at the 2012 Games, she needed to gain British citizenship. The sport's governing body petitioned the Home Office in order to ensure that this was received in time for her registration for the Games.[4] She became eligible for British citizenship in February 2012 after living in the UK for five years,[4] and was granted British citizenship and a passport in May 2012.[8] She had originally been turned down for the citizenship in March 2012, but was awarded it on appeal.[9] This was controversial and led to some newspapers labelling her as a "Plastic Brit".[10] Fellow Ukrainian and British wrestling team member Yana Stadnik had her citizenship application turned down at the same time that Butkevych's was awarded.[11] She was Great Britain's sole wrestler at the 2012 Summer Games, where she competed in the women's 55 kilograms (121 lb) category. Great Britain were originally due to have three wrestling places, but the Olympic Qualification Standards ruled that it should be reduced to a single spot; with Butkevych taking that spot.[7] In the Olympic finals she lost to Lissette Antes of Ecuador and was placed 11th in the final standings.

In September 2012, she became the first British wrestler to medal at the World Championships, when she won a bronze, in Edmonton, Canada.[12]

gollark: We are currently engaging in ineffective hand to hand combat with a crawling goblin. There is a 7 year old girl who is okay. The ground is on fire.
gollark: * ineffectually
gollark: I kick the goblin again, d6.
gollark: Oh, I see.
gollark: A random nearby tree? The goblin? uqb?

References
  1. "Olga Butkevych". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. "Olga Butkevych". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  3. "Olga Butkevych Profile". British Wrestling Association. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  4. Mendick, Robert (4 December 2011). "Race is on to get British passport for Olympic wrestling star". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  5. Hope, Nick (12 April 2011). "British wrestlers frustrated over the recruitment of foreign athletes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  6. Hope, Nick (4 April 2011). "Euro wrestling bronze for Olga Butkevych in Germany". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  7. "London 2012: Olga Butkevych wins GB's only wrestling spot". BBC Sport. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  8. Hope, Nick (30 May 2012). "London 2012: Ukraine-born Olga Butkevych may wrestle for GB". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  9. McEvoy, Jonathan (30 May 2012). "Kicked out! BOA give 'Plastic Brit' wrestlers the push from Games". Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  10. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/wrestling/9430937/London-2012-Plastic-Brit-Olga-Butkevych-determined-to-win-a-wrestling-medal-to-repay-adopted-country.html
  11. Shea, Julian (30 May 2012). "GB wrestlers pay price for failure as London 2012 team reduced to one". Metro. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  12. Hope, Nick (28 September 2012). "Olga Butkevych becomes Britain's first female medallist at worlds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
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