Oleksandr Abramenko

Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Abramenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Володимирович Абраменко; born 4 May 1988) is a Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist freestyle skier, specializing in aerials.[2] He is the 2015–16 Aerials World Cup winner. He competed at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics,[3] winning the Olympic gold medal in the men's aerials event at Pyeongchang. Abramenko is also 2019 World Championships silver medalist.

Oleksandr Abramenko
Full nameОлександр Володимирович Абраменко
Born (1988-05-04) 4 May 1988
Pervomaiskyi, Kharkiv Oblast[1]
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
World Cup career
Individual wins1
Indiv. podiums8
Discipline titles1 – Aerials (2015–16)
Medal record
Men's freestyle skiing
Representing  Ukraine
Olympic Games
2018 PyeongchangAerials
World Championships
2019 UtahAerials
Junior World Championships
2006 Krasnoe OzeroAerials
Updated on 7 February 2019.

Career

Abramenko competed at the 2005 World Championships in Ruka, Finland, where he was 25th. Abramenko made his World Cup debut on 8 January 2006, in Mont Gabriel, Canada. He placed eighteenth. Even though he was quite young and inexperienced, he competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. In aerials, he did not advance, placing 27th in the qualifying round. On 6 March 2006, he won a silver medal at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Krasnoe Ozero, Russia. On 19 January 2008, Abramenko finished tenth at the World Cup event in Lake Placid, United States. He was among the best in four of seven competitions that season.

Abramenko competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, for Ukraine. In aerials, he placed 24th in the qualifying round of the event, again failing to advance to the final.[4]

His first World Cup podium came on 25 February 2012, in Minsk, Belarus, when he was second after another Ukrainian Stanislav Kravchuk. That year he also was 3rd in Voss, Norway.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, he reached the final and placed 6th.

He celebrated his first victory on 1 March 2015, in Minsk, Belarus. In 2015–16 season he became the first ever Ukrainian to win World Cup in aerials or any other freestyle discipline.[2][5][6][7] That season was the most successful for him because Abramenko's results were 5th, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 13th, and 5th.

In summer 2016, Abramenko suffered a severe injury. While practicing on water, he injured his cruciate ligaments and his meniscus and transverse ligament.[8] His knee injury didn't allow him to compete whole next season. He also missed 2017 World Championships.

He returned in the pre-Olympic 2017–18 season. There were concerns that Ukraine for the first time ever would not qualify any sportsman for men's freestyle skiing due to crisis in Ukrainian freestyle skiing. Abramenko started that season not confidently finishing just 21st in Beijing. But later his performances improved and on 19 January 2018, he achieved his eighth podium in Lake Placid, United States. He was then second after China's Jia Zongyang.[9] These results assured him a spot in 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.[10] At the 2018 Winter Olympics he surprisingly became winner.[11] Abramenko became the second native of Ukraine to win an Olympic gold in freestyle after Anton Kushnir who in 2014 represented Belarus.

On 6 February 2019, he won silver medal at the World Championships in Utah, United States.

Personal life

Abramenko's father is Oleksandr Volodymyr Abramenko, a former footballer who played for a few amateur teams in Ukraine and is currently a security officer at MFC Mykolaiv.[12]

Largely unknown to the public until he earned his 2018 Olympic gold medal, Abramenko's place of birth was a source of confusion to his fans as many populated places in Ukraine carry names similar to Pervomaiskyi.[3]

Career results

Winter Olympics
YearPlaceAerials
2006 Torino, Italy27
2010 Vancouver, Canada24
2014 Sochi, Russia6
2018 Pyeongchang, South Korea1

World Championships
YearPlaceAerials
2005 Ruka, Finland25
2007 Madonna di Campiglio, Italy16
2009 Inawashiro, Japan5
2011 Deer Valley, United States7
2013 Voss, Norway6
2015 Kreischberg, Austria10
2019 Utah, United States2

Podiums
SeasonPlaceRank
2011–12 Minsk, Belarus2
2011–12 Voss, Norway3
2014–15 Deer Valley, United States3
2014–15 Minsk, Belarus1
2015–16 Beijing, China3
2015–16 Deer Valley, United States3
2015–16 Deer Valley, United States2
2017–18 Lake Placid, United States2

Rankings
SeasonAerialsOverall
2005–0648177
2006–072574
2007–081548
2008–09928
2009–103084
2010–11820
2011–12720
2012–131138
2013–141243
2014–15621
2015–1615
2016–17missed
2017–18631

References
  1. Олександр Абраменко – олімпійський чемпіон. kharkivoda.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Kharkiv Oblast state administration. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  2. FIS Profile
  3. Romanyuk, T. "Golden" Abramenko: the route of the Ukrainian to the Olympic medal ("Золотий" Абраменко: шлях українця до олімпійської медалі). BBC Ukrayina. 19 February 2018
  4. "Sports Reference Profile". Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
  5. "Caldwell and Lillis finish on top in Minsk".
  6. "World Cup Ranking" (PDF).
  7. "Oleksandr Abramenko – the holder of the small World Cup in freestyle skiing".
  8. "Лідер збірної України з фрістайлу Олександр Абраменко відверто оцінив свої олімпійські шанси".
  9. "Олександр Абраменко у Лейк Плесіді здобув «срібло» етапу КС-17/18 з фрістайлу в акробатиці".
  10. "Фрістайліст Абраменко зайняв 2-ге місце на етапі КС і кваліфікувався на Олімпіаду".
  11. Video of Abramenko's Olympic performance
  12. A son of the MFC Mykolaiv security officer is an Olympic champion (Син офіцера безпеки МФК "Миколаїв" – олімпійський чемпіон). PFL.ua. 19 February 2018
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