Zhan Vensanovich Beleniuk is a Greco-Roman wrestler, a people’s deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation from the “Servant of the People”.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on January 24, 1991 in Kyiv.
He received a master’s degree in sports psychology from the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine. He also studied at the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management with a degree in Business Management.
Sports Career
He began wrestling in 2000, taking his first steps under the guidance of coach Vitaliy Kyselitsa. Later, Oleksiy Dobrovolskyi joined the training.
In 2010, he won a silver medal at the Junior World Championships. The following year, he achieved success, becoming the European champion among juniors and winning bronze in Greco-Roman wrestling.
In 2012, he replenished his collection of awards with a bronze medal at the European Championships. And already in 2013, he became the bronze medalist of the Summer Universiade, which was held in Kazan. The following year, he won the title of European champion and won a bronze medal. In the same year, he began to play for the German club Lichtenfels.
In 2015, he won silver at the first European Games. He also became the world champion in the weight category up to 85 kg, defeating the Asian champion Rustam Assakalov from Uzbekistan in the final with a score of 6:0.
The following year, he again won the title of European champion. On August 15, he became the silver medalist of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2019, he won a gold medal at the European Games in Minsk. In the same year, he won a gold medal at the World Championship in Greco-Roman Wrestling.
On August 4, 2021, he climbed to the top of the podium again, winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
On August 8, 2024, during the Olympic Games in Paris, he won a bronze medal in the weight category up to 87 kilograms. After the end of the fight, he symbolically took off his wrestling shoes, confirming his decision to end his sports career, which he announced even before the start of these Olympic Games.
Political Activities
In the 2019 elections to the Verkhovna Rada , he was elected a people’s deputy from the Servant of the People party. Since August 29, 2019, he has been holding the position of First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports in the Parliament of the IX convocation.
