Olympics 2026: Ukrainian luger sets new national record
9 February 14:08
Ukrainian luger Andriy Mandziy took 12th place in the singles competition at the XXV Winter Olympic Games in Italy. This result was the best in Ukraine’s history in men’s singles at the Olympic Games. This was reported by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
A record for Ukraine in luge
Before Mandziy’s performance, the highest achievement of Ukrainian single lugers at the Olympics was 22nd place. Andriy managed to improve this result by 10 positions, taking 12th place after four runs.
In a comment to the press service of the NOC of Ukraine, the athlete noted that the key factor for success was stability, not maximum speed.
“From the very beginning, I understood that in four races, it is not only speed that matters, but also stability. That’s exactly what happened — it was thanks to my self-confidence and the absence of serious mistakes that I managed to achieve such a result,” said Mandziy.
Support from Ukrainians in Italy and a step forward
According to the athlete, the training runs were not easy — only one run was perfect. However, on the competition days, he managed to pull himself together and show a stable result. Mandziy called his 12th place an important step forward, although he admits that he was aiming for the top 10.
He also noted the strong support of Ukrainians in Italy.
“There is incredible Ukrainian support here: the diaspora, friends, the federation, the NOC of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports — everyone gives a huge boost of energy. It is very motivating and makes you fight to the end,” the athlete emphasized.
Competition results
Another representative of Ukraine, Anton Dukach, took 16th place with a result of 3:35.204 minutes. Prior to this, it was Dukach who held the best Ukrainian result — 22nd place at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
2026 Olympic Games. Luge (men, single sled):
- Max Langenhan (Germany) — 3:31.191
- Jonas Müller (Austria) — 0.596
- Dominik Fischnaller (Italy) — 0.934
… - Andriy Mandziy (Ukraine) — 3.583
- Anton Dukach (Ukraine) — 4.013
About the 2026 Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics are being held from February 6 to 22 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. A total of 116 sets of medals will be awarded in 16 sports.
Ukraine will be represented at the Games by 46 athletes competing in 11 sports.
