Olesya Povh

Olesya Povh

Povh in 2015
Personal information
Born	(1987-10-18) 18 October 1987 (age 37) Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
Country	Ukraine
Sport	Athletics
Event	100 metres 60 metres
Medal record Olympic Games 2012 London 4×100 m relay World Championships 2011 Daegu 4×100 m relay European Championships 2010 Barcelona 4×100 m relay 2012 Helsinki 100 m European Team Championships 2011 Stockholm 4x100 m relay 2013 Gateshead 100 m 2013 Gateshead 4x100 m relay 2011 Stockholm 100 m 2010 Bergen 4x100 m relay 2017 Lille 4x100 m relay European Indoor Championships 2011 Paris 60 m Continental Cup 2010 Split 4×100 m relay Universiade 2013 Kazan 4×100 m relay Military World Games 2011 Rio de Janeiro 100 m 2011 Rio de Janeiro 200 m 2011 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m relay

Olesya Povh (Ukrainian: Олеся Іванівна Повх (Olesya Ivanivna Povkh); born 18 October 1987)[1] is a Ukrainian former sprint athlete who specialized in the 100 metres. Her personal best times include 11.08 seconds in the 100 m, achieved in June 2012.[1] She is an Olympic Games bronze medalist, World Championships bronze medalist, European Championships gold and silver medalist, and European Indoor Championships gold medalist.[2]

Early life

Povh is Jewish, and was born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.[3][4][5][6] She graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports in 2010 and chose to focus on athletics full-time in 2011.

Career

Povh had her first year of international competition in 2010. She reached the semi-finals of the 60 metres at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships and won a relay bronze medal with Ukraine at the 2010 European Team Championships. She gained selection for the 100 m at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and was eliminated in the semi-finals. However, she went on to have success at the competition as part of the Ukrainian 4 × 100 metres relay team: running with Nataliya Pohrebnyak, Mariya Ryemyen, and Yelyzaveta Bryzhina, the team won the gold medal in a national record time of 42.29 seconds – the fastest mark in the world that year.[7] The team reprised their roles for the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup, representing Europe, and took the silver medal behind the Americas team.[8]

Povh began 2011 with a 60 metres best run of 7.14 seconds, gaining selection for the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[9] At the 2012 Olympic Games in London she and her teammates Khrystyna Stuy, Mariya Ryemyen, and Yelyzaveta Bryzhina won the bronze medals in the 4 × 100 metres relay by setting a new national record.[10][11]

On the eve of the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, Povh failed a drug test and was suspended from competing in the championships.[12] In March 2019, the CAS confirmed that Povh committed the anti-doping rule infractions and confirmed the UAF Executive Committee decisions about the disqualification of Povh for four years starting from 15 June 2016.[13]

References

1. "IAAF: Olesya POVH - Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
2. Olesya POVH. "Profile of Olesya Povh". All-Athletics.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
3. Fintzy, Uri (30 July 2012). "Final results for the Jewish athletes from the London 2012 Olympic Games". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
4. "2012 Summer Olympic medalists". Jewish Sports Review. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
5. "Olesya Povh – 2012: Silver medal at European Champions". Sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
6. "Olesya Povh – Player Profile". Au.eurosport.com. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
7. Chris Tomlinson secures European long jump bronze, BBC (1 August 2010)
8. 2010 Continental Cup 4x100 Metres Relay – W Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 23 January 2011. Archived 6 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
9. Ukraine’s Povh speeds to world-leading 60m. European Athletics (23 January 2011). Retrieved on 23 January 2011. Archived 27 May 2012 at archive.today
10. "International Association of Athletics Federations". iaaf.org. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
11. USA smash world 4x100m relay record to win Olympic gold, BBC Sport (10 August 2012)
12. "The World Athletics Championships haven't started and two athletes have already failed drug tests". Independent.co.uk. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
13. "THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) AMENDS THE PERIODS OF INELIGIBILITY OF UKRAINIAN SPRINTERS OLHA ZEMLIAK AND OLESIA POVH" (PDF) (Press release). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2024.