KHARLAN Olga

General
BARBIE ROLE MODEL
In 2020 she was chosen as the inspiration for the fencer doll, as part of the Barbie Role Model project. The initiative aimed to highlight the success of women in various fields and encourage girls to realise such goals. "As a little girl, I always dreamed of having a Barbie doll and I had one, like most girls. But I couldn't imagine that some day I would become a Barbie doll myself. I'm so glad that I was able to inspire the legendary brand to create this beauty." (footballua.tv, 05 Mar 2020; Instagram profile, 04 Mar 2020)

DANCE BACKGROUND
She believes the dancing lessons she had as a child proved good preparation for a career in fencing. "When you're in the rhythm of music, it's similar to the rhythm of fencing, the rhythm of a partner to the rhythm of an opponent. Sometimes you can see some dancing moves in fencing, too." (redbull.com, 29 Jan 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as a member of the International Fencing Federation [FIE] Athletes' Commission. She has also been a member of the Athletes' Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. (fie.org, 01 Aug 2020; noc-ukr.org, 01 Aug 2020)

Her bronze medal in individual sabre at the 2012 Olympic Games in London meant she became the first fencer representing Ukraine to win more than one Olympic medal. She had previously won gold in team sabre at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She went on to become the first Ukrainian fencer to win three and four Olympic medals with a silver in team sabre and bronze in individual sabre at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 05 May 2021)