Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk [a] ( Ukrainian: Жан Венсанович Беленюк; born 24 January 1991) is a Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler and politician. In 2019, he became the first black member of the Ukrainian Parliament. [1] [2]
Beleniuk was born in 1991 in Kyiv to a father from Rwanda and a mother from Ukraine. His father was a pilot who studied in Kyiv at the National Aviation University and died during the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda when Beleniuk was 3 years old. [3]
Beleniuk began wrestling in 2000 when he was nine years old. [4]
In 2010, Beleniuk won the silver medal at the Junior World Championships. In 2011, he became the Junior European Champion amongst, and won bronze at the World Championship. In 2012, he won the bronze medal at the European Championships. In 2013, he won bronze again at the Summer Universiade.
In 2014, he won a gold medal at the 2014 European Wrestling Championships, [5] and bronze at the World Championships.
In 2015, he won the silver medal at the first European Games in Azerbaijan. On 10 September 2015, after winning against then the ruling World Champion and then Champion of Asia, Uzbek Rustam Assakalov scoring 6:0, Beleniuk won gold at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in under-85 kg weight category.
In 2016, he won gold at the 2016 European Wrestling Championships, followed by the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. [6]
In 2021, he won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. [7]
Beleniuk was briefly a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. He left the National Olympic Committee in January 2023 due to disagreement with its new President Vadym Gutzeit. [8]
Beleniuk was elected a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada in July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election as a member of the Servant of the People political party. [9] He was one of the first ten candidates on the party's electoral list. [10]
Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | European Cadet Championships |
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2nd | Greco-Roman 76 kg |
2008 | European Cadet Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 76 kg |
2010 | European Junior Championships |
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10th | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
World Junior Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2011 | European Junior Championships |
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1st | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
World Junior Championships |
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2nd | Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2012 | European Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
2013 | European Championships |
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8th | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
Summer Universiade |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2014 | European Championships |
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1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg |
World Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
2015 | European Games |
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2nd | Greco-Roman 85 kg |
World Championships |
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1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
Military World Games |
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1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
2016 | European Championships |
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1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg |
Olympic Games |
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2nd | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
2018 | World Championships |
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2nd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
2019 | European Championships |
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1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
European Games |
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1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg | |
World Championships |
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1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg | |
2021 | European Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
Olympic Games |
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1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg | |
2023 | World Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
2024 | European Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
Беленюк Жан / Belenyuk Jean
Zhan Beleniuk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Жан Беленюк | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Beleniuk with his gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member of the Ukrainian Parliament for Servant of the People | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office July 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | 24 January 1991||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sports career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Ukrainian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Greco-Roman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Spartak Kyiv | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Vitalyj Kisilisa Aleksej Dobrovolskyj Oleg Sazonov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Zhan Vensanovych Beleniuk [a] ( Ukrainian: Жан Венсанович Беленюк; born 24 January 1991) is a Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler and politician. In 2019, he became the first black member of the Ukrainian Parliament. [1] [2]
Beleniuk was born in 1991 in Kyiv to a father from Rwanda and a mother from Ukraine. His father was a pilot who studied in Kyiv at the National Aviation University and died during the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda when Beleniuk was 3 years old. [3]
Beleniuk began wrestling in 2000 when he was nine years old. [4]
In 2010, Beleniuk won the silver medal at the Junior World Championships. In 2011, he became the Junior European Champion amongst, and won bronze at the World Championship. In 2012, he won the bronze medal at the European Championships. In 2013, he won bronze again at the Summer Universiade.
In 2014, he won a gold medal at the 2014 European Wrestling Championships, [5] and bronze at the World Championships.
In 2015, he won the silver medal at the first European Games in Azerbaijan. On 10 September 2015, after winning against then the ruling World Champion and then Champion of Asia, Uzbek Rustam Assakalov scoring 6:0, Beleniuk won gold at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in under-85 kg weight category.
In 2016, he won gold at the 2016 European Wrestling Championships, followed by the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. [6]
In 2021, he won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. [7]
Beleniuk was briefly a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. He left the National Olympic Committee in January 2023 due to disagreement with its new President Vadym Gutzeit. [8]
Beleniuk was elected a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada in July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election as a member of the Servant of the People political party. [9] He was one of the first ten candidates on the party's electoral list. [10]
Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | European Cadet Championships |
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2nd | Greco-Roman 76 kg |
2008 | European Cadet Championships |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 76 kg |
2010 | European Junior Championships |
![]() |
10th | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
World Junior Championships |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2011 | European Junior Championships |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
World Junior Championships |
![]() |
2nd | Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2012 | European Championships |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
2013 | European Championships |
![]() |
8th | Greco-Roman 84 kg |
Summer Universiade |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2014 | European Championships |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg |
World Championships |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
2015 | European Games |
![]() |
2nd | Greco-Roman 85 kg |
World Championships |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
Military World Games |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
2016 | European Championships |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 85 kg |
Olympic Games |
![]() |
2nd | Greco-Roman 85 kg | |
2018 | World Championships |
![]() |
2nd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
2019 | European Championships |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
European Games |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg | |
World Championships |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg | |
2021 | European Championships |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
Olympic Games |
![]() |
1st | Greco-Roman 87 kg | |
2023 | World Championships |
![]() |
3rd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
2024 | European Championships |
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3rd | Greco-Roman 87 kg |
Беленюк Жан / Belenyuk Jean