Vita Semerenko

Vita Semerenko, born on 18 January 1986, is a Ukrainian biathlete, Olympic champion in the women's relay and one of the most successful Ukrainian winter athletes. She took up cross-country skiing in the fourth grade together with her twin sister Valentyna, and both later switched to biathlon. On 9 February 2014 she won the bronze medal in the women's sprint, the first medal for Ukraine at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and on 21 February she won the relay gold with Juliya Dzhyma, Valentyna Semerenko and Olena Pidhrushna, still the greatest achievement of Ukraine in biathlon. She also won several World Championships medals, including bronze in the individual in 2011 and in the sprint in 2012 and 2013, missed almost three seasons through illness, surgery and pregnancy, and returned to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics.