Yana Klochkova
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Yana Oleksandrivna Klochkova (Ukrainian: Яна Олександрівна Клочкова; born 7 August 1982) is a Ukrainian swimmer, who has won five Olympic medals in her career, with four of them being gold. She is Merited Master of Sports (1998),[1] Hero of Ukraine (2004).[1] Klochkova was the most awarded Olympian from Ukraine until in 2024 fencer Olga Kharlan overtook her.[2][3]
Yana Klochkova set 50 Ukrainian records in 25- and 50-meter swimming pools at distances of 100, 200, 400 meters with integrated swimming; 200, 400 and 800 meters freestyle; 100 and 200 meters on the back; 200 meters butterfly and relay swimming. At the Olympic Games in Sydney, she set a world record in a 400-meter medley swimming and a European record in a 200-meter medley swimming.
Farewell to the track
Klochkova was born on 7 August 1982 in the city of Simferopol (situated in Crimea). She moved from there to Kharkiv, then to Kyiv.
Sports Society — "Dynamo", Major of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
Coaches — Honored Trainer of Ukraine, Honored Worker of Physical Culture of Ukraine Nina Kozhukh and Honored Trainer of the USSR, Honored Worker of Physical Culture of Ukraine Alexander Kozhukh.
In the 2006 Ukrainian local elections Klochkova was elected to the Kharkiv City Council joining the faction of and became a member of the Party of Regions.[4]
She retired in 2009 at the age of 26.[5]
Klochkova has a son named Oleksandr born 21 June 2010.[6][7] The father is Georgian athlete and businessman Nodarovich Rostoshvili.[6] The relationship between Rostoshvili and Klochkova lasted 18 months and Rostoshvili moved back to Georgia before their son was born and Klochkova raised her son alone.[6]
Following the Russian invasion and unilaterally annexation of Crimea in 2014 Klochkova publicly continued to visit Crimea while living in Kyiv.[8] When questioned about this she stated that the peninsula is her home and her parents continued to live there.[8]
In 2021 Klochkova complained that she had not been invited to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.[9] She stated that it was important to have Olympic champions present on such celebrations since "These are the people who represent our country abroad, play the anthem of our country, raise the flag."[9] At the time her son Oleksandr lived permanently with his grandparents in Crimea and she speculated that that could have been a reason not to invite her.[10][nb 1] According to then Ukraine's Youth and Sport Minister Vadym Gutzeit the Ukrainian Swimming Federation had tried to contact Klochkova, but she had not responded.[12] On 16 September 2021 Klochkova organised a swimming cross of the Dnipro river in Kyiv in honor of swimming day and the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.[13]
In 2022, Klochkova left Kyiv to live in Crimea.[8][6] According to the Ukrainian news website Obozrevatel she lives with her son in Gurzuf.[8] Klochkova has never publicly made a statement on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[14][15][8]
In January 2008, Klochkova announced her retirement from sports.
On 24 March 2009 in the Olympic swimming pool "Aquarena" in Kharkiv, during the first stage of the Ukrainian Swimming Cup, with completely filled stands, Yana Klochkova's official "parting with water" took place.[4] Officials (Kharkiv Mayor Mykhailo Dobkin, Vice Governor Sergei Storozhenko, Head of the Ukrainian Swimming Federation Oleg Dyomin, two-time Olympic champion volleyball player Yuriy Poyarkov and many others) spoke about the swimmers, followed by the presentation of flowers and gifts from everyone. Klochkova, nicknamed "the goldfish" in Ukraine, was symbolically presented with an aquarium with a live goldfish.[4]
In 2011, Yana Klochkova headed the Kyiv branch of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, but in 2012, without waiting for support for her initiatives from the executive committee of the Olympic Committee, she left this post.[6]
Awards
Her gold medals came in the 200 meter individual medley and the 400 meter individual medley at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics;[16] her silver medal came in the 800 meter freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She has also won ten titles at swimming's world championships, nineteen European championship titles. She currently holds the short-course world record in the 400 meter individual medley.[17] Her 400 m individual medley world record was broken by American Katie Hoff at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne.[18]
On 28 July 2001, she won a silver medal by defeating Qi Hui of China in the women's 200-meter individual medley at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The same year, she won gold medal for 400-meter individual medley at the same event and on two days later won another gold in the 400-meter freestyle.[19] In 2003, she won four golds at the Summer Universiade in South Korea.[20] In 2004, she was named by Swimming World magazine as the World Female Swimmer of the Year[21] and the same year was awarded Hero of Ukraine medal by President Leonid Kuchma.[22]
Titles
Yana Klochkova's titles include:
Olympic Champion
- 2000, Sydney: 200 m individual medley
- 2000, Sydney: 400 m individual medley
- 2004, Athens: 200 m individual medley
- 2004, Athens: 400 m individual medley
World Champion, Long Course
- 2001, Fukuoka: 400 m freestyle
- 2001, Fukuoka: 400 m individual medley
- 2003, Barcelona: 200 m individual medley
- 2003, Barcelona: 400 m individual medley
World Champion, Short Course
- 1999, Hong Kong: 400 m individual medley
- 2000, Athens: 200 m individual medley
- 2000, Athens: 400 m individual medley
- 2002, Moscow: 400 m freestyle
- 2002, Moscow: 200 m individual medley
- 2002, Moscow: 400 m individual medley
European Champion, Long Course
- 1999, Istanbul: 200 m individual medley
- 1999, Istanbul: 400 m individual medley
- 2000, Helsinki: 400 m freestyle
- 2000, Helsinki: 200 m individual medley
- 2000, Helsinki: 400 m individual medley
- 2002, Berlin: 400 m freestyle
- 2002, Berlin: 200 m individual medley
- 2002, Berlin: 400 m individual medley
- 2004, Madrid: 200 m individual medley
- 2004, Madrid: 400 m individual medley
European Champion, Short Course
- 1999, Lisbon: 400 m freestyle
- 1999, Lisbon: 800 m freestyle
- 1999, Lisbon: 200 m individual medley
- 1999, Lisbon: 400 m individual medley
- 2000, Valencia: 200 m individual medley
- 2000, Valencia: 400 m individual medley
- 2001, Antwerp: 200 m individual medley
- 2002, Riesa: 200 m individual medley
- 2002, Riesa: 400 m individual medley
Universiade Champion, Long Course
- 2003, Daegu: 200 m freestyle
- 2003, Daegu: 200 m butterfly
- 2003, Daegu: 200 m individual medley
- 2003, Daegu: 400 m individual medley
- 2007, Bangkok: 400 m individual medley
Honorary titles
"Person of the Year 2000" in the nomination "Sportsman of the Year".
"Person of the Year 2003" in the nomination "Sportsman of the Year".
Honorary Citizen of Kharkiv and Donetsk.
International championships (50 m)
See also
- World record progression 400 metres medley
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming
- List of individual gold medalists in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships (women)
- List of European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
- List of European Short Course Swimming Championships medalists (women)
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
