“Sport.ua National Award”, — write: sport.ua
The organizer of the award Sport.ua is the leading sports portal of Ukraine, which has been covering events in the world of sports for more than 20 years. The tradition of choosing the best athlete of the year was started in our media since 2010. Since then, the winners of our referendums have been the legends of Ukrainian sports: the Klitschko brothers, Bohdan Bondarenko, Valentina Semerenko, Oleg Vernyaev, Yuriy Cheban, Vasyl Lomachenko, Elina Svitolina, Zhan Beleniuk. Oleksandr Usyk and Daryna Bilodid were recognized as the best twice. Yaroslava Maguchih also won twice – in 2023 and 2024.
This year, in order to increase the status of the award, Sport.ua decided not to limit itself to the definition of the best athlete. At the end of 2025, we will also announce the best coach and team of the year. Moreover, from now on, not only fans, but also 50 well-known experts will take part in the voting.
How will voting take place?
Voting will be held in two stages.
First, a popular vote will take place (December 11, 2025 – December 18, 2025). Fans will be able to vote for the best, in their opinion, athlete, coach and team on our portal. The list of nominees was compiled by the creative team of Sport.ua. According to the results of the voting, the athlete who takes the 1st place will receive 30 points, the 2nd – 20, the 3rd – 10.
After that, experts will vote (December 19, 2025 – December 26, 2025). An expert jury of 25 eminent representatives of Ukrainian sports and 25 well-known sports journalists will choose the three best athletes, coaches and teams. Each 1st place is “worth” 5 points, 2nd – 3 points, 3rd – 1 point.
Determination of winners
The winners will be determined by the sum of the points that the athletes, coaches and teams will get based on the sum of the votes of the fans and the expert jury. On December 30, we will announce the winners in each category.
Previous winners:
- 2010 – Vitaliy Klitschko
- 2011 – Volodymyr Klitschko
- 2012 – Oleksandr Usyk
- 2013 – Bohdan Bondarenko
- 2014 – Valentina Semerenko
- 2015 – Oleg Vernyaev
- 2016 – Yuriy Cheban
- 2017 – Vasyl Lomachenko
- 2018 – Elina Svitolina
- 2019 – Daria Bilodid
- 2020 – Daria Bilodid
- 2021 – Zhan Beleniuk
- 2022 – Oleksandr Usyk
- 2023 – Yaroslav Maguchih
- 2024 – Yaroslav Maguchih
Presented in the Sportsman of the Year nomination:
Alla Belinskywomen’s wrestling
The 29-year-old wrestler, who was born in Horodok in the Khmelnytskyi region, became the world and European champion this year. Belinska became the champion of the continent for the second time, and climbed to the podium for the fourth time. In Bratislava, Alla fought perfectly, winning two out of three fights by carcass. First, the Ukrainian put the representative of the country 404 Ksenia Burakova on her shoulders in the quarterfinals, then she defeated the Frenchwoman Pauline Lecarpentier 8:2 in the semifinals, and in the final she again won cleanly against the champion of Europe-2024 Nesrin Bash from Turkey – 6:0.
Belinska has never been on the podium of the world championships, although she has performed at the world’s adult championships five times. On the way to the final in Zagreb, Alla won three victories by carcass over the Croatian Veronika Wilk, the medalist of three European Championships, the already mentioned Pauline Denise Lecarpentier from France and the winner of the last two Asian championships Nurzat Nurtaeva from Kyrgyzstan. In the final, Belinska was opposed by her good friend Nesrin Bash. Alla defeated her this time too, and on the carcass. It is not known whether it is even possible to perform more perfectly than Belinska did in 2025!
Yuriy KOVALCHUK, modern pentathlon
The 23-year-old from Lviv became the first European champion in modern pentathlon after the rules were changed: horse jumping was replaced by an obstacle course, and fencing was held only in the main round under the Olympic system. In Madrid, where the continental championship-2025 took place, before the final, Kovalchuk won the semifinals of group B, confirming the status of one of the favorites of the competition. This is the second consecutive victory of the Ukrainians at the European Championship in the individual competition. Oleksandr Tovkai won the title last year.
In addition, Yuriy together with Danylo Sych won the silver medal of the European Championship in the relay.
Alina KOMASCHUK, fencing
The 32-year-old saber fencer from Netishyn in the Khmelnytskyi region, who until now remained in the shadow of the legendary Olga Harlan, in the year when Olga took a break from performances, took on the role of the leader of our national team and won her first personal medals of the world and European championships.
At the European Championship held in Genoa, Komaschuk defeated Lutsa Siuc from Hungary by 6:11 on the way to the final, as well as Teodor Guntur from Greece and Mariella Viale from Italy, and in the semifinals she crushed Sylvia Matuszak from Poland 15:6. And only in the fight for gold was the Frenchwoman Sarah Nutcha stronger than the Ukrainian.
At the World Championship in Tbilisi, Alina defeated Elisabeth Goethe from Germany, Yin Fu from China, 2-time world champion in the individual championship Misaki Emura from Japan, 2-time silver medalist of the Olympics Sarah Balzer from France, and only in the fight for entry to the finals she lost to Zuzanna Czeslar from Poland, who was a three-time winner of the European Championships.
Let’s add that Komaschuk has always shown herself to be a strong team fighter. In the team, she is the Olympic champion of Paris-2024, silver medalist of the 2016 Games in Rio, world champion-2013 and silver medalist of the world championship-2015, three times silver and once bronze medalist of the European Championships.
Pavel KOROSTYLOV, bullet shooting
The 28-year-old from Lviv became one of the most iconic figures at the 54th World Shotgun Championship, which took place in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Korostylov won four medals: gold, silver and two bronze.
Pavlo won gold in shooting from a centrifugal pistol from a distance of 25 m, having scored 584 points and 29 internal tens. In the same event, but in the team championship, Korostylov, together with Volodymyr Pasternak and Maksym Horodynets, became silver medalists. Their joint result is 1734 points and 68 internal tens. The Ukrainian won two more bronze medals in air pistol shooting from 25 m and in the team championship in air pistol shooting at a distance of 50 m.
In total, Pavlo Korostylov is already a 12-time winner of world championships, 5 of those medals are gold.
Also in 2025, but a little earlier, Korostylov became a 4-time European champion in the French Chateau. He won a personal victory, as later at the World Championship, in shooting with a centrifugal pistol from a distance of 25 m, and he won three more golds and a bronze in the team championship.
Nikita KOSHMAN, fencing
The 23-year-old fencer from Kyiv rather unexpectedly won bronze at the World Championship in Tbilisi. Koshman started from the previous round, where he defeated the Estonian Kasper Tafenau with great difficulty – 15:14. And in the 1/16, he sensationally defeated the number one in the world ranking, the bronze medalist of the 2024 Olympics, the Egyptian Mohamed El-Sayed. In the 1/8 finals there was a victory over the champion of the European Games 2023 Tristan Theulen from the Netherlands in, and in the quarterfinals over the vice-champion of Europe among adults and the world champion among juniors Italian Matteo Galassi. And only in the semi-finals, Koshman lost to the 2019 world champion and the Olympic champion of Paris in the team championship – the Hungarian Györdy Šikloša.
This medal was the first personal award of a Ukrainian at the world championships. Previously, he was a medalist of the World Cup stages in the team.
Lyudmila LUZAN, kayaking and canoeing
The past year has been really magical for the 28-year-old rower, who was born in Ivano-Frankivsk and now represents the Poltava region. Lyudmila herself, who has three Olympic medals in her collection, has already called it the best in her career and expressed hope that she will be able to keep this form as long as possible, until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
In 2025, Luzan first won gold in the 500-meter distance in a single canoe and three silvers (she herself – in the 200-meter race: in a double canoe – together with Iryna Fedorov at distances of 200 and 500 m), and after 2 months at the same distances and with the same partner, she won four golds at the World Championships in Milani. Before Lyudmila, no Ukrainian athlete, regardless of gender, had become a 4-time world champion in one Olympic sports competition.
Let’s add that, in general, Lyudmila is already an 8-time world champion and a 4-time European champion.
Yaroslav MAGUCHYKH, athletics
After two perfect previous seasons, 2025 in Yaroslava’s performance was not so convincing. You get used to good things quickly, and that’s why after the gold of the world championships and the Olympic Games, the world record and three consecutive victories in the Diamond League, the current World Cup bronze in the stadium and indoors, the European gold and the series at the stages of the Diamond League, which was first extended and then interrupted by ten victories, is accepted with the prefix “only”. However, this is “only” conditional.
As in the career of every athlete, Yaroslavy had a certain decline. Especially emotional. It is not surprising, because Maguchih has already reached all the main peaks. In the future, it remains only to raise and accumulate to remain unattainable in history for as long as possible. However, it is impossible to go through the entire career with one emotional charge. This is the first. And the second: Yaroslava, who is now 24, had problems with her foot this year, because of which she risked missing some starts. Yes, she battled Australia’s Nicola Olislagers on equal footing, but this season her opponent looked more resilient and motivated. It happens like that. Undoubtedly, these relative setbacks should give Maguchich a boost ahead of the next seasons.
Victoria MOTRYCHKO, checkers
Checkers is by no means the most popular sport in Ukraine. However, did you know that at the end of last year, two representatives of our country – Victoria Motrychko and Yuriy Anikeev – fought for the titles of world champions? (Then Victoria lost the match for the crown to Daria Tkachenko, and Anikeev lost to Jan Grunendeik). In what other sport are Ukrainian athletes not consistently among the leaders, but in principle the best in the world?
So, in 2025, Motrichko continues to dominate the Women’s Chess Tour. In October, Victoria became the world champion in Trinidad and Tobago in the classic program, scoring 12 points out of 19 possible (for 9 rounds) and, in particular, beating Darya Tkachenko. Now in 2026, Victoria will defend her checkers crown and the title of the best in the world against the same Tkachenko in a match confrontation.
In addition, in 2025, Victoria won two more bronze medals of the World Championship, successfully performing in blitz (5 minutes + 3 seconds per move) and super blitz (3 minutes + 2 seconds per move) – competitions in these disciplines were held in the Dutch town of Hogeven in August.
The best in the world in her sport is a great candidate for the title of the best sportswoman of the year in Ukraine.
Taisia ONOFRYCHUK, artistic gymnastics
The new prima of Ukrainian rhythmic gymnastics, 17-year-old Kyivan Taisia Onofriychuk, is gradually taking on leading roles in the world. In June, in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Taisia brought gold to Ukraine in the most prestigious type of program – all-around. With a total of 117.800 points, Onofriychuk became the third Ukrainian to triumph in the all-around at the continental championships, after Kateryna Serebryanska and Olena Vitrychenko, who won in 1996 and 1997, respectively. In addition, in Tallinn, Taisia won silver in the club and team championships and bronze in the hoop and ribbon exercises.
In August, at the World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Onofriychuk, with the sum of 117,400 in the all-around, stopped short of the podium – 4th place. She won bronze in the ribbon exercise and the team championship.
Elina SVITOLINA, tennis
In recent years, fans of Ukrainian tennis have been asking one very important and at the same time painful question: what will happen to our tennis when Svitolina ends her career?
It’s really scary to imagine, so for now we’re just enjoying Svitolina’s game. The year 2025 was clearly not the best season of Elina’s career. But…
Two Grand Slam quarterfinals, a great clay season with the WTA 250 trophy in Rouen and a semi-final at the 1,000 in Madrid, the team’s historic passage to the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup, the 14th position in the WTA ranking at the end of the year – this is a sign of a good and benign, as well as a stable level.
Perhaps, and most likely, Elina will no longer win the coveted GS trophy. However, Svitolina is the tennis player who brings Ukrainian tennis with her. And as the best representative of such a popular sport, Elina fully deserves her place among the nominees for the best athlete of the year.
Oleksiy SEREDA, diving into the water
Today he is already 19, and he is already not just a talent. Oleksiy Sereda is gradually breaking out into the world diving leaders. At the World Water Sports Championship in Singapore, the Ukrainian won silver in the 10-meter platform diving with a total of 515.20 points, second only to Austrian Kassel Rousseau.
For the first time in his career, Oleksiy finished 2nd in the individual discipline at the World Championship. He also broke the 500-point mark in the finals of the world championship for the third time in his career. His personal best result is 528.65 points, obtained in the bronze final of the 2024 WC. In total, Sereda has won a world championship medal for the fifth time.
Let’s add that it is difficult for Oleksiy to compete psychologically as well, because his father is now defending Ukraine with a weapon in his hands.
“I don’t know if I will survive. This is all serious, no jokes. In my native Mykolaiv, rockets damaged the pool in which I trained since childhood for 5 years. Sometimes the bombs fall even closer to you, and you just don’t know if you’ll wake up tomorrow morning. I stress every day because of my father, who is at the front. It’s really dangerous there, I try to call him as often as possible. I don’t know if he was able to watch my performances,” Sereda said immediately after winning the World Championship medal.
Also, in 2025, Oleksiy became a 3-time European champion in Antalya, Turkey. He won in individual and synchronized jumps from a 10-meter platform (in a duet with Mark Hrytsenko), and also triumphed in the team championship together with Ksenia Bailo, Kyryll Bolyukh and, excuse me, Sofia Lyskun.
Oleksandr USYKboxing
Don’t push the horses. If the children did not yet know who Oleksandr Usyk was, then in 2025, at least thanks to a popular meme, they understood everything.
And even more so, Oleksandr once again demonstrated why he is the real king of super heavyweight. After two wins against Tyson Fury, Usyk simply had nothing to prove, but to become absolute again, he had to fight Daniel Dubois.
The Briton, who cried out about injustice in their first face-to-face confrontation (then the referee did not count a knockdown from Dubois due to a blow to the groin), frankly failed in the second fight. Usyk, as expected, emphasized power and accuracy, rather than running, and in the 5th round he knocked out his opponent with a left hook, quickly ending the fight.
What awaits Oleksandr next? Joseph Parker, who was called and is called almost the most dangerous opponent for Usyk (however, they also said about Dubois), sensationally lost the fight to Fabio Wordley for the right to enter the ring against the Ukrainian. And now Usyk is simply not interested in fighting Wardley, because this fight will not be so profitable, so Oleksandr’s future remains unclear.
However, Usyk is included in the list of nominees for the title of the best sportsman of the year of Ukraine not because of further prospects to become absolute again. Oleksandr remains an example of stability, determination and professionalism. Yes, just one fight in a year, but with an opponent 11 years younger, with an arrogant opponent, and against all the skeptics and haters who did not believe in him because of his age. Don’t push the horses 2.0, don’t write off Usyk until he is 40 years old.
Authorities of KHARKIV, fencing
Until 2025, the most successful year in the career of 29-year-old fencer Vlada Kharkov was 2022, when she became the European champion in the individual championship and won bronze with the team. After that, there was a lull for three years and this year’s brilliant stretch, which began with the European Championship in Genoa, where the Ukrainian women’s epee team won impressively.
And then the world championship in Tbilisi. Zolot Kharkov, who was born in Transcarpathia and now lives in Kyiv, can be called, if not a sensation, then a big surprise. Vlada’s path to the top was surprisingly difficult. She won three out of six fights by one shot. In particular, in the quarterfinals, she defeated Frenchwoman Eloise Vanrissel (15:14), and in the semifinals, she defeated the first number of the FIE world ranking, the 2022 world champion, Korean Song Se-Ra (15:14). The final match with the Estonian Katrina Lekhis also ended with a dramatic victory (15:14) on priority.
This is the second gold in the history of Ukraine at the world championships among women in epee after Natalia Konrad’s success in 2003. Kharkiv became the fifth Ukrainian world champion in individual fencing competitions.
Nazar CHEPURNY, sports gymnastics
After Ilya Kovtun fled to Croatia, and Oleg Vernyaev suspended his performances, Cherkastian Chepurny, who is now 23, became the new leader of the men’s gymnastics team. At both the main starts of the season, Nazar proved himself worthy, winning bronze in the pole vault at the European and World Championships.
At the European Championships in Leipzig, Germany, Chepurnyi got an average score of 15.583 for two jumps and was second only to 2-time world champion and 3-time European champion Jake German from Great Britain and 2-time Olympic medalist and 2022 world champion in this event Artur Davtyan from Armenia.
History repeated itself at the World Championship in Jakarta. Nazar won bronze with a score of 14.483. Only this time the 2-time Olympian and already 3-time world champion Carlos Yulo from the Philippines won, and Davtyan again became 2nd.
Danylo YAVGUSYSHYN, sumo
In just three years, this 21-year-old boy from Vinnytsia went from taking the first steps in professional Japanese sumo to winning the most prestigious trophy, the Emperor’s Cup, and receiving the second rank of ozeki. Above is only yokozuna. 2025 Danylo, who competes in Japan under the coach of Aonishiki Arata, started in the second strongest division called Djuryo. Having taken 2nd place at the very first tournament in January, the Ukrainian made his debut in the Makuuchi elite division in March.
In four tournaments in a row, Danylo won 11 victories, in particular, in July he defeated yokozuna Tomokatsu Hosoryu, for which he received the first gold kinboshi star in his career. Aonishiki reached it only in the 12th professional tournament, which is an absolute record in the recent history of sumo, which dates back to 1958, when the system of six tournaments per year was introduced. The crown of a brilliant year was the victory at the November tournament in Fukuoka, winning the first Emperor’s Cup in Ukrainian history and receiving the rank of odzeki. Moreover, Yavgusyshyn won impressively, defeating the same yokozun Khosyoru in an additional championship match.
Yehor Yakushenko, Greco-Roman wrestling
At the age of 11, this boy, who was born in Donetsk region and now lives in the Kyiv housing estate Troyeschyna, suffered a stroke, miraculously survived, and learned to walk again. Actually, that is why his current achievements are doubly impressive. In 2025, Yegor lost only one match on the international stage – to the German Darius Kiefer in the final of the U20 European Championship. But even despite this defeat, which also brought silver, the list of wrestling majors won by Egor during the year is impressive: he won the U23 world and European championships and the U20 continental championship. And this to a 19-year-old!
The coaches of our national team are obviously right in that they are in no hurry to transfer Yakushenko to adult wrestling. They take care of him, let him compete at the youth level, while understanding that Yehor, who fights in the weight category up to 97 kg, is the main hope of Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2028 Olympics. It is very important that our talent tries not just to win, but to do it brightly. His fight is full of beautiful combinations and spectacular throws.
The following are presented in the Coach of the Year nomination:
Enver Ablaevfreestyle
Coach of the freestyle team of Ukraine, which took 2nd place at the 2025 WC in Endingan.
Vitaly Andronovhandball
Coach of Lviv “Halychanka”.
Oleksandr Bobkinhockey
Under his leadership, the U18 youth national team became 2nd in division 1A of the World Cup for the second time in a row, stopping just one step away from reaching the elite.
Mykhailo Geraskevychskeleton
His son stopped short of a medal at the World Championship – 4th place. Within a short time, he created a full-fledged team from scratch, despite the fact that there was no material and technical base. Yaroslav Lavreniuk became the world champion among juniors in 2025.
Raul Losanovolleyball
Under his leadership, the Ukrainian national team started in the League of Nations from a high 9th place.
Mykola Matsapurarowing and canoeing
The coach of the four-time world champion Lyudmila Luzan.
Bohdan Nikishynfencing
Coach of the women’s team in epee fencing. Under his leadership, Ukrainian women won the European team championship, and Vlada Kharkiv became the world champion in the individual championship.
Sergey Rebrovfootball
He led the Ukrainian national team to the World Cup qualification play-offs.
Tatyana Stepanovaathletics
Trainer Yaros benches of Maguchih.
Tamara and Yaroslav Tokmachovjumping into the water
Coaches Oleksiy Seredy.
Oleg Shafarenkohockey
He is nominally an assistant to Dmytro Hristych in the position of national team coach, but in fact he is the head, because he is responsible for the team’s equipment, training, and tactics. The Ukrainians had every chance to return to the top division of the World Cup for the first time in 18 years. In the second strongest division 1A, they became the 3rd, although if they had taken at least one point in the final match against the Japanese, they would have been the first.
Volodymyr Yaremenkowomen’s wrestling
The Ukrainian national team under his leadership showed the best performance at the European Championship in history: 4 gold, 4 bronze, only two weight categories out of ten did not have medals, 1st overall team place.
The Team of the Year nomination is presented:
“Halychanka” Lviv (handball)
The team won the Central League of the Polish Championship and returned to the top division of the Polish Championship. At the same time, the women from Lviv became champions of Ukraine for the 11th time in a row.
Women’s wrestling team of Ukraine
The team showed the best performance at the EC in history – 4 gold, 4 bronze, only two weight categories out of ten did not have medals, 1st overall team place.
Women’s volleyball team of Ukraine
The winners of the Golden Euroleague, for the first time in history, went to the League of Nations.
Women’s tennis team of Ukraine
In the Billie Jean King Cup, they reached the semi-finals.
Ukrainian women’s epee fencing team
Champions of Europe.
National ski acrobatics team of Ukraine
They won a silver medal at the 2025 World Championships in Endingan, Switzerland.
National football team of Ukraine
Made it to the playoffs of qualification for the World Cup.
Men’s volleyball team of Ukraine
9th place in the first ever League of Nations.
Men’s hockey team of Ukraine
In the second strongest division 1A, they became the 3rd, although if they had taken at least one point in the final match against the Japanese, they would have been the first and after an 18-year break they would have returned to the elite of the World Cup.
Men’s national chess team of Ukraine