The two-time world champion and Ukraine’s member of parliament Zhan Beleniuk’s participation in the Olympics has come under question. Beleniuk booked the Tokyo berth in 87kg Greco-Roman, thanks to his gold-medal winning performance in 2019 World Championships. But with the postponement of the Summer Games to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak his spot in the Ukrainian team has been challenged.
USA Wrestling follows UWW guidelines, postpones National and Regional events to July 1
Semen Novikov had represented Ukraine at the 2020 European Championships and won gold in the 87kg Greco style. It is the same weight class in which Beleniuk competes. Novikov’s medal-winning performance has put him in contention for a spot in the senior’s team. He does not mind going head-to-head against the 2016 Olympic medallist too.
“Now we need to look at a new criterion of selection for the Olympics” he told the Times Hub.
Beleniuk, however, said that he was originally planned to go to the European Championships but did not go on his coach’s advice. “I was originally supposed to go. But my coach gave him a chance as he is talented and with great potential. We had agreed that he can participate at the European Championship but Olympics will be mine as I won the license for it,” he said.
“But you understand that not all people can agree, it’s like in politics. I hope that we will achieve the maximum benefit in the first place result for the national team.”
Novikov won the European championship held in February by defeating Hungary’s Viktor Lorincz.
