Oleh Handei
Ukrainian speed skater (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oleh Volodymyrovych Handei (born March 5, 1999, in Kyiv, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian short track speed skater. He competed in the 500 metres event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he did not advance from the heat.[1]
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Handei at the 2022 Winter Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Гандей Олег Володимирович |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Born | 5 March 1999 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Short track speed skating |
Sporting career
Handei took up the sport in 2009 in his home city, Kyiv. Before that, he tried figure skating.[2]
He started his international sporting career in late 2016 when he skated at the World Cup. He debuted during that season at the World Junior Championships. He represented Ukraine in various competitions over the following seasons.
Handei qualified for his first Winter Games in Beijing based on his performances during the 2021–22 World Cup.[3]
Handei qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in the 500-meter and 1,500-meter events. He planned to wear a helmet with the phrase "Where there is heroism, there is no final defeat" by Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko, but was forbidden by the International Skating Union as a political slogan. He disputed the order, asserting it was a motivational quote rather than being related to the Russo-Ukrainian war.[4]
Results
Winter Olympics
World Championships
European Championships
Personal life
His two-year-older brother, Volodymyr, is also a short track speed skater who represented Ukraine at both World and European championships. Oleh and Volodymyr took up short track speed skating almost together in 2009.[5]
Handei is a student at the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine and studies physical culture.
See also
- Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukrainian skeleton racer and 2026 Olympian, who was disqualified for wearing a helmet with images of athletes killed in the war
- Kateryna Kotsar, Ukrainian freestyle skier and 2026 Olympian, who had to change her helmet with a pro-Ukrainian phrase
