Vita Semerenko

Vita Semerenko (Ukrainian: Віта Олександрівна Семеренко; born 18 January 1986) is a Ukrainian biathlete. She is Olympic champion in women's relay, Olympic medalist and multiple World championships medalist. She is one of the most successful Ukrainian winter athletes.

Vita Semerenko
Personal information
Full nameVita Oleksandrivna Semerenko
Born (1986-01-18) 18 January 1986[1]
Krasnopillia, Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight57 kg (126 lb)
Professional information
SportBiathlon
ClubDynamo
World Cup debut2006
Olympic Games
Teams3 (2010–2018)
Medals2 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams0 (2007–2013, 2019–2020)
Medals7 (0 gold)
World Cup
Seasons2005–
Individual podiums10 (incl. 3 at World Champ.)
Updated on 22 February 2020.

Biathlete Valentyna is her twin sister.

Career

When she was in the fourth grade of elementary school, she took up cross-country skiing together with her twin sister Valentyna. But later they decided to switch to biathlon. In 2005 she won two medals at Junior World Championships and one at Junior European Championships. Since the competition in Ukrainian national team was quite rigorous, only Valja managed to qualify for 2006 Winter Olympics.

In 2005–06 World Cup season she debuted in German Oberhof in women's relay which was her only World Cup race in that season. Next season she had her first World Cup race – individual race in Swedish Östersund where she with three misses finished 23rd as the best among Ukrainians. Her first World Cup podium came on 20 December 2008, in Austrian Hochfilzen, where she was second in sprint.

She also competes sometimes in summer biathlon competitions, including World and European championships. But Vita's greatest achievement in this modification of biathlon was in 2012 when she won City-Biathlon in Püttlingen, Germany, which was very popular among leading biathletes.

She won the silver medal in 4×6 km relay event at the Biathlon World Championships 2008. In the Olympic cycle between 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics she always was on the World Championships podiums winning bronze in individual in 2011, bronze in sprint in 2012 and bronze once again in sprint in 2013 (her teammate Olena Pidhrushna became then World Champion). Apart from her individual medals she also was second in women's relay in 2013.

She represented Ukraine at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.[2] In Vancouver she was one of national hopes for a medal but she didn't achieve high results.

Ukrainian stamp with 2014 Olympic champions (Vita – first from right)

On 9 February 2014, she got her bronze medal in women's sprint competition thus winning the first medal for Ukraine at the 2014 Winter Olympics. On 21 February, together with Juliya Dzhyma, Valj Semerenko and Olena Pidhrushna she won the gold medal in the Women's relay at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia.[3] This is still the greatest achievement for Ukraine in biathlon.

Due to illness, surgery and then pregnancy she missed almost three seasons, returning to competitions only in March 2016.

She qualified to represent Ukraine at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[4] She competed in all personal races at the Games with 14th place in sprint being her personal best.

She received the Best Athlete of a Month award from National Olympic Committee of Ukraine for four times – in March 2009, March 2010, March 2011, March 2012.

Personal life

Vita is married to a footballer of a regional league Andriy Patsiuk. On 19 September 2016, she gave a birth to the son whose name is Mark.

She graduated from Sumy State Pedagogical Makarenko University.

Results

Winter Olympics
YearEventINSPPUMSRLMRL
2010 Vancouver, Canada2234426
2014 Sochi, Russia29310161
2018 Pyeongchang, South Korea6314182411

World Championships
YearEventINSPPUMSRLMRL
2007 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy201220209
2008 Östersund, Sweden1335DNS42
2009 Pyeongchang, South Korea1226194DNF
2010 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia6
2011 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia3181725DSQ8
2012 Ruhpolding, Germany16387614
2013 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic53942

World Cup

Individual podiums
SeasonPlaceCompetitionRank
2008–09 Hochfilzen, AustriaSprint2
Vancouver, CanadaIndividual3
2009–10 Oslo, NorwayMass start2
2011–12 Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaSprint2
Khanty-Mansiysk, RussiaPursuit3
2017–18 Annecy, FranceSprint3
Oberhof, GermanyPursuit3

Relay podiums
SeasonPlaceCompetitionRank
2008–09 Oberhof, GermanyRelay1
2010–11 Hochfilzen, AustriaRelay2
Pokljuka, SloveniaMixed relay2
2012–13 Hochfilzen, AustriaRelay2
Oberhof, GermanyRelay1
2013–14 Hochfilzen, AustriaRelay1
Ruhpolding, GermanyRelay3
Annecy, FranceRelay2
2017–18 Hochfilzen, AustriaRelay2
Kontiolahti, FinlandMixed relay2

Positions
SeasonIndividualSprintPursuitMass startsTOTAL
2006–073851524046
2007–0818382437
2008–09610181713
2009–102423191319
2010–11718181815
2011–122012131012
2012–13161014310
2013–1450292331
2014–15missed
2015–16missed
2016–17missed

IBU Cup

Relay podiums
SeasonPlaceCompetitionRank
2016–17 Otepää, EstoniaMixed relay3
Otepää, EstoniaMixed relay3
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References
  1. "Vita SEMERENKO". sochi2014.com. Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  2. "Vita Semerenko, Biathlon". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  3. "Vita Semerenko". SR/Olympic Sports. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. "Ukrainian squad for the 2018 Winter Olympics". Ukrainian Biathlon Federation. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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