Jean Beleniuk is a Greco-Roman style fighter from Ukraine. Winner of many sports awards, champion of Europe and the world, Olympic medalist.
Biography
Jean Vensanovich Beleniuk - the name of this athlete is as unusual as his appearance. The future athlete was born in 1991 in Kiev (then Ukraine was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). His father came to Ukraine from Rwanda, a republic in East Africa, to study at an aviation technical college as a pilot. A few years later, in 1994, he died in the civil war, which broke out in his homeland, so the eminent athlete remembers his father only from photographs. Jean's mother is Ukrainian. With the family - mom and grandmother, the boy stayed in the capital. They brought up the future champion. The name for the child was chosen by the mother, eliminating another option - Barry. Today in Rwanda, the famous athlete has relatives on his paternal side - sister and grandmother, they themselves went to Jean.
Before the Greco-Roman wrestling, little Jean managed to try himself in karate, football, basketball, and even
in folk dances. True, as he himself admits, dances were given to him with difficulty - the teacher did not see the student any stretching or plasticity.
In 2000, when the child was 9 years old, he was sent to the sports section of Greco-Roman wrestling. According to Jean, a friend brought him there in 2000. That same friend soon stopped fighting, but Beleniuk remained in sports. And never regretted it.
The little athlete, at his age of birth, began to show good results, and soon began to take medals one after another. Already in 2010, the young man got to the World Cup in Greco-Roman wrestling, where he won a silver medal among juniors. Further, the sports career of Jean Beleniuk developed rapidly. In 2012, the wrestler took the bronze of the European Championship, and in 2013 became the bronze medalist of the Summer Universiade in Kazan. 2014 was the most successful year. This year, Beleniuk became the champion of Europe, and won a bronze medal at the World Cup. In 2015, Jean won silver at the European Games and gold at the World Championships in Las Vegas. In 2016 at the European Championships he repeated his success and won first place.
On September 10, 2015, a landmark duel took place at the World Championships: Jean Beleniuk and Asian champion Rustam Assakalov from Uzbekistan met in a sports duel. The Ukrainian defeated the titled fighter with a crushing score of 6: 0 and became the world champion in the weight category up to 85 kilograms.
In 2016, Jean Beleniuk went to the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. On August 15, he reached the finals and won silver in the weight category up to 85 kilograms, losing first place to Russian Davit Chakvetadze.
After speaking at the Olympic Games, a famous athlete complained in one of the interviews that the conditions for training wrestlers in Ukraine are bad. However, categorically refused to change citizenship. On October 4, 2016, the President of the country awarded the medalist with the Order of Merit of the III degree for Olympic silver in Brazil. By the way, after the prize, taken at the Universiade in Kazan, Jean received at the same time, in 2013, the medal "For Labor and Victory".
Education
Jean Beleniuk received a specialized education at the Institute of Physical Education.
Medals
- Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, category up to 85 kg - silver;
- World Cup 2014 (Tashkent), category up to 85 kg - bronze;
- World Championship 2016 (Budapest), category up to 87 kg - silver;
- European Championship 2012 (Belgrade), category up to 84 kg - bronze;
- European Championship 2014 (Vantaa), category up to 85 kg - gold;
- European Championship 2016 (Riga), category up to 85 kg - gold;
- European Games 2015 in Baku, category up to 85 kg - silver;
- Summer Universiade 2013 in Kazan, category up to 84 kg - bronze.
Awards
- Medal "For Labor and Victory" (2013) - for the bronze of the Summer Universiade in Kazan;
- Order of Merit, III degree (2016) - for the silver of the Olympic Games in Brazil.
Interesting Facts
The nickname of Jean Beleniuk is African. By the way, he himself admits that he learned about racism when a skinhel came to them to the gym. Jean was then about 15 years old. The athlete also admits that he is used to the interest of those around him in his appearance and to the various reactions of strangers — persistent attitudes, questions, and even laughter.
His height is 175 centimeters, weight - 85 kilograms.
Jean has a Chinese crested dog named Casper. The thoroughbred dog requires care, and the groomer comes home to the famous athlete. The dog is usually occupied by the mother of Beleniuk, because he himself, as a rule, at training camps and on the road.
For a long time, the famous Ukrainian athlete traveled by public transport, now he has his own car.
Personal life
Jean Beleniuk has a girlfriend, but the couple carefully conceals their relationship. It is known that the beloved wrestler is also an athlete.
