Iryna Klymets and Myhaylo Kokhan will ensure Ukraine will be competitive in both the men’s and women’s hammer competitions at the European Throwing Cup in Leiria, Portugal on 21-22 March.
Klymets finished third in last year’s competition in Samorin, a precursor to her best summer campaign to date. The 25-year-old was particularly impressive in the major competitions, winning the World University Games title in Naples before finishing third at the European Athletics Team Championships Super League in Bydgoszcz, adding a value ten points to her team’s tally.
Klymets timed her peak to perfection as she set lifetime bests in both the qualifying round and the final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha. After throwing 72.93m in qualifying, Klymets further surpassed that mark in the final with 73.56m to perform above expectations with a fifth-place finish.
Kokhan also finished fifth in the men’s hammer at the World Championships in Doha, also with a lifetime best of 77.39m. His performance was especially notable as the then 18-year-old (he turned 19 on 22 January) became the youngest ever male thrower to reach a final in a throwing event at the World Championships.
Kokhan was outstanding with both the U20 and senior implements in 2019. He broke the European U20 record at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Boras in July with 84.73m but he was to come to note at last year’s European Throwing Cup when he upset Hungary’s Bence Halasz in the U23 competition. Kokhan will seek to defend that title next month.
Other standout names on the Ukrainian team include Natalia Semenova in the discus, Hanna Hatsko-Fedusova in the javelin and Mykyta Nesterenko in the men’s discus.