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]
 Povh in 2015 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 October 1987 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 metres60 metres |
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
