Ukraine's 1st medal of Paris Olympics won by fencer who refused to shake Russian opponent's hand
Fox News
Women's fencer Olga Kharlan won Ukraine's first medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics, but her Olympic aspirations were in jeopardy after a disqualification from World Championships.
Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout and Roger Clemens.
"I brought a medal to my country, and it's the first one, and it's going to be a good start for all our athletes who are here because it's really tough to compete when in your country is at war," Kharlan told reporters after the match. "Every medal, it's like gold. I don't care (that) it's bronze. It's gold."
There are only 140 athletes from Ukraine at the Olympics, the smallest group in the country’s history at the Summer Games, as hundreds have been killed during the war.