The remarkable conclusion of the World Championship in the Qatari capital showcased the talents of our divers. On the final day in Doha, the Ukrainian team’s medal collection was enriched with yet another bronze medal in men’s platform diving.

The author of this achievement is 18-year-old Oleksiy Sereda, who, with a record-breaking score of 528.65 points, was surpassed only by two Chinese athletes.

This World Championship award marks the first for men’s platform diving in individual competition.

“This is my 4th World Championship, and finally, I managed to secure an individual medal. I focused and achieved it. Everything went as I wanted,” commented Oleksiy Sereda on his performance.

Igor Lysov, the President of the Ukrainian Diving and Synchronized Swimming Federation, congratulated the athlete and the entire coaching staff on the incredible conclusion of the World Championship in Doha and thanked them for their dedicated effort.

The debut award for the Ukrainian diving team at the World Championship, currently taking place in the Qatari capital Doha, was brought by 18-year-old Oleksiy Sereda and 16-year-old Kirill Boliukh.

In synchronized platform diving with a score of 406.47 points, the boys managed to rise to the third step of the podium, surpassing only the medalists from the Olympic Games from China and Great Britain.

It’s worth noting that this award became their second joint achievement in their careers. At last year’s World Championship 2023 in Fukuoka, the Ukrainians became silver medalists, which allowed them to secure a spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

For Oleksiy Sereda, this medal became his third in his career. He won his debut award together with Sofia Lyskun in mixed pair synchronized platform diving.

“Until the third dive, I didn’t believe that we could climb onto the podium,” Sereda shares his impressions after the final. “We are proud that we succeeded and were able to please our country, which is still at war. We constantly feel the danger to our lives and the lives of our loved ones at home. It’s hard to focus solely on training when air raid sirens are sounding.”

After the championship, the team will return to Kyiv, to their home pool “Liko,” where they will continue preparing for important competitions of the season.

We are approaching the end of 2023! Our country endured, did not give up, and we continued to achieve sporting victories!

This year, the Ukrainian national diving team became the best both at the European Championship and the European Junior Championship, winning overall team rankings!

In total, our athletes earned 20 medals, including 11 🥇, 6 🥈, and 3 🥉 at the World and European Championships, as well as the European Junior Championship!

We are proud of our incredible team!

We don’t stop and continue to train persistently, doing everything to ensure that the blue-yellow flag is consistently raised at every start, and that the anthem of Ukraine resonates in international arenas!

With faith and hope, we enter the new year 2024!

In Aachen, Germany, the 10th International Diving Cup Ulla-Klinger concluded, gathering 110 young athletes from 9 countries.

Over the course of 4 competitive days, Ukrainians showcased a high level of skill among their peers and secured 31 medals, including 15 gold, 12 silver, and 4 bronze. This accomplishment allowed Team Ukraine to top the overall team standings.

The champions and medalists include:

Champions:

• Yegor Tkachenko – 1m springboard, group D, platform group D, 3m springboard, group D
• Dmytro Stepanov – 1m springboard, group C, 3m springboard, group C
• Nazariy Kononenko – platform, group C
• Alina Polonets – platform, group D, 3m springboard, group D
• Daria Tertychna – 1m springboard, group D
• Dmytro Kachanov – 3m springboard, group B
• Valeriy Maliyev – platform, group B, 1m springboard, group B
• Ivan Polishvaiko and Yegor Tkachenko – 3m springboard, synchronized, group D/C
• Daria Tertychna and Alina Polonets – 3m springboard, synchronized, group D/C
• Daria Tertychna and Daria Polyakova – platform, synchronized, group D/C

Silver Medalists:

• 2nd place – Daria Polyakova – 1m springboard, group D, 3m springboard, group D, platform, group D
• 2nd place – Ivan Ananyev – 1m springboard, group D, 3m springboard, group D, platform, group D
• 2nd place – Valeriy Maliyev – 3m springboard, group B
• 2nd place – Nazariy Kononenko – 1m springboard, group C, 3m springboard, group C
• 2nd place – Yelizaveta Dyadyuk – 3m springboard, group C
• 2nd place – Alisa Kryvetska and Veronika Andrashchuk (200.13) – platform, synchronized, group D/C
• 2nd place – Dmytro Kachanov – 1m springboard, group B

Bronze Medalists:

• 3rd place – Ivan Polishvaiko – platform, group C
• 3rd place – Alina Polonets – 1m springboard, group D
• 3rd place – Daria Tertychna – platform, group D, 3m springboard, group D

Our diver secured the 4th position following the final voting held in Istanbul during the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees. The first place was shared between Turkey’s representative Kuzey Tunçelli (swimming) and Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev (artistic gymnastics).

“I thank the EOC for the support. Today, I can stand here in front of you because of the assistance that the Ukrainian team received after the full-scale war began in our country in February 2022. Of course, Paris 2024 is my goal, but I also have a dream and believe that it will come true. This dream is about an independent, free, and flourishing Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine,” noted the 16-year-old athlete during his speech.

The Piotr Nurowski Prize was initiated by the European Olympic Committees in 2011. Boliukh became the third Ukrainian athlete in summer sports to reach the final of this prestigious award.

It is worth to remind that in 2023, the athlete won the silver at the World Championships in synchronized platform diving, earning a spot for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. He also became a two-time champion at the III European Games in synchronized platform diving and mixed-gender synchronized platform diving.

We congratulate Kirill and are proud of him!

On the eve of the Day of Physical Culture and Sports in the capital of Ukraine, ceremonies were held to honour athletes and coaches.

It’s pleasing to note that even the divers were honoured with honorary awards and orders.

For their outstanding sports achievements at the III European Games in Krakow (Republic of Poland), demonstrating dedication and the will to win, and enhancing Ukraine’s international reputation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky honoured them with state awards:

Ksenia Baylo, Anna Pysmenska – Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class

Kirill Boliukh, Oleg Kolodi, Oleksiy Sereda – Order “For Merit,” 3rd class

Sofia Esman – Medal “For Labor and Victory.”

The Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, presented Honorary Diplomas to Ksenia Baylo and Kirill Boliukh and their coaches – Vice President of the Diving Federation of Ukraine Tamara Tokmachova and the head coach of the Ukrainian national diving team Illia Tseliutin.

Congratulations to our athletes and coaches on their prestigious awards, and we are proud of their achievements!

The European Junior Diving Championships in Rieti turned out to be a triumph for the Ukrainian team. They earned a total of 10 medals, including 7 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze. This accomplishment allowed our team to lead the overall team standings among all 25 participating countries on the continent. An incredible result that will undoubtedly become part of our sports history!

The champions and medalists are as follows:

1st place – Danilo Avanesov, Kyrylo Azarov, Karina Hlyzhina, Mark Hrytsenko (mixed team event)

1st place – Karina Hlyzhina (3m springboard, Group B)

1st place – Diana Shevchenko and Alisa Meshkova (synchronized diving, platform)

1st place – Kyrylo Azarov and Maksym Mirza (synchronized diving, 3m springboard)

1st place – Mark Hrytsenko (3m springboard, Group B)

1st place – Karina Hlyzhina (platform, Group B)

1st place – Danilo Avanesov (platform, Group A)

2nd place – Mark Hrytsenko (platform, Group B)

3rd place – Kyrylo Azarov (3m springboard, Group A)

3rd place – Sofiia Vystavkina (platform, Group B).

Igor Lysov, President of the Diving Federation of Ukraine, expressed sincere gratitude to the tournament organizers for their hospitality, to Vadym Gutzeit, the head of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the National Olympic Committee for their support and cooperation.

And, of course, he extended thanks to our best coaches who love their work, live for it, and contribute to the sporting glory of Ukraine, as well as to our young athletes for their fighting spirit and desire for victory!

The Superfinal of the Diving World Cup, where the top 18 athletes in individual disciplines and the top 8 in synchronized events participated, concluded in Berlin, Germany.

It’s worth noting that all six Ukrainians who participated in this year’s stages in Sian, China, and Montreal, Canada, qualified for the Superfinal. They were Oleksii Sereda, Kirill Boliukh, Kseniia Bailo, Sofiia Esman, Oleh Kolodii, and Danilo Konovalov, who earned the opportunity to compete against the world’s best divers.

In Berlin, Oleksii Sereda once again showcased his high skill, securing second place in platform diving. In synchronization with Kirill Boliukh, the Ukrainian pair came very close to another medal but narrowly missed the podium.

Overall, our athletes managed to secure 3 silver and 1 bronze medal in this year’s stages. The medalists were:

“Silver” – Oleksii Sereda (platform, Sian)

“Silver” – Oleksii Sereda (platform, Superfinal, Berlin)

“Silver” – Oleksii Sereda and Kirill Boliukh (platform, synchronized, Montreal)

“Bronze” – Oleksii Sereda and Kirill Boliukh (platform, synchronized, Sian).

The Superfinal in Berlin marked the concluding tournament for the main diving team in this season.

Top 5! The Ukrainian diving team secured the 5th place in the overall team standings at the World Championship! We haven’t achieved such a result in 25 years! The team climbed higher only in 1998 when it won 2 gold medals and entered the top 3!

Our achievements at this year’s championship: “silver” in synchronized platform diving, won by Oleksii Sereda and Kirill Boliukh, and 2 licenses for the Olympic Games: platform, men, and platform, synchronized, men!

Ukrainians participated in 4 finals, demonstrating the following results: Kseniia Bairo and Kirill Boliukh – 4th place in mixed-gender synchronized platform diving; Oleksii Sereda – 6th place in platform diving; Kseniia Bailo and Sofiia Esman – 9th place in synchronized platform diving; Danylo Konovalov – 11th place on the 1m springboard!

For the fifth time in history, Ukrainians conclude the World Championship with a “silver” achievement!

Thanks to the entire team for the shown result; despite any difficulties and obstacles, you represent the country on the world stage, and the blue and yellow flag proudly waves on the global arenas!

Thanks to all the fans who passionately support each athlete!

Ukrainians – a nation of winners!

17-year-old Oleksii Sereda and 16-year-old Kirill Boliukh open the medal count for Ukraine at the World Aquatics Championships in the Japanese city of Fukuoka!

Having passed the qualification round with the 4th result (404.22 points), the guys understood that only a podium finish would guarantee them the coveted license for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the final, they managed to perform their program flawlessly, becoming silver medalists of the competition with a record total score (439.32 points), conceding only to the representatives of China.

While this is the second world championship medal for Oleksii, it is the first in Kirill’s career!

The last time Ukrainians won a medal in this discipline at the World Championship was in 2011, and the “silver” was 20 years ago, in 2003.

President of the Diving Federation of Ukraine, Igor Lysov, congratulated the team and the entire coaching staff on their brilliant performance and the acquisition of an Olympic license!

The medalists of the World Championship dedicated their award to our defenders. “We want to dedicate our medal to all the armed forces of Ukraine who defend our country, thanks to whom we have the opportunity to compete. Thank you very much. We love you, and we believe in you!”