WATCH: Ukrainian Olympian Defeated Multiple Crashes to Secure First Golden Victory at Winter Olympics

The Olympics are the grandest stage in all sports for all athletes in the world. They strive for excellence throughout their lives to become Olympians, be it the Summer, or the Winter Olympics.

Especially, when it comes to the Winter Olympics, one little mistake on the part of skiers or snowboarders could spell doom for years of dreams. However, that was not the case for Oleksandr Abramenko, the Ukrainian skier, who achieved his first gold medal in 2018.

At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018, Oleksandr put on an amazing display of aerial freestyle skiing which mesmerized the world. Thus, it was no surprise when he walked away with the gold medal around his neck.

Oleksandr Abramenko’s long-awaited golden victory in Pyeongchang

The past two Winter Olympics have been quite successful for Ukraine’s Oleksandr Abramenko. Not only did he win a freestyle skiing gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, but he also won the silver this year at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

However, the taste of Olympic victory eluded the Ukrainian for over a decade before he stood atop a podium. Abramenko had crashed in the Torino Winter Olympics 2006, and then again in Canada at the 2010 Winter Games.

Consequently, he finished 27th and 24th respectively. Moreover, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, Abramenko managed to not crash, but his landing was not enough to get him to the podium. Thus, he scored the sixth position in 2014.

Then, after three Olympics, at the age of twenty-nine, Abramenko took to the ice again in 2018. The world watched with bated breath as he rose up the slope, taking to the air.

Thankfully, for both the audiences and himself, the Ukrainian did not disappoint this time. As he took to the air, he completed three successful backflips. Moreover, they weren’t just regular backflips, either.

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As he came to the ground, Abramenko spun for the final two backflips on his way down. Naturally, he stole everybody’s breath away, and rightly so. Thus, it came as no surprise when he stood highest atop the Olympic podium with gold around his neck.

Thus, at the end of his fourth Winter Olympics, Oleksandr Abramenko finally managed to secure a medal. In fact, he went straight for the gold. Truly, a champion is made through the relentless pursuit of excellence, and Abramenko is a testament to the same.

Abramenko’s medal-winning continued at the Beijing Winter Olympics

Suffice to say, the Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist was not merely a one-and-done. At the age of thirty-three, Abramenko competed in his fifth consecutive Winter Olympics in Beijing this year.

Abramenko, in the freestyle skiing event at the 2022 Winter Games, walked away with yet another Olympic victory. This time, his freestyle routine in the air earned him a silver medal.

Moreover, this was Ukraine’s first medal at the Winter Games this year. At the end of the Olympics in Beijing, Oleksandr’s silver medal was the only one for his country, further adding to the gravity of his win.

Certainly, his story shows how tenacity can get one everything they wish and work for, as long as they refuse to give up.

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