Yana Oleksandrivna Klochkova (Ukrainian:Яна Олександрівна Клочкова; born 7 August 1982) is aUkrainianswimmer, who has won five Olympic medals in her career, with four of them being gold. She isMerited Master of Sports (1998),[1]Hero of Ukraine (2004).[1] Klochkova was the most awarded Olympian from Ukraine until in2024fencerOlga 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 theOlympic Games in Sydney, she set a world record in a 400-meter medley swimming and a European record in a 200-meter medley swimming.
Klochkova was born on 7 August 1982 in the city ofSimferopol (situated inCrimea). She moved from there toKharkiv, then toKyiv.
Sports Society — "Dynamo",Major of theMinistry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
Coaches — Honored Trainer of Ukraine, Honored Worker of Physical Culture of UkraineNina Kozhukh and Honored Trainer of the USSR, Honored Worker of Physical Culture of UkraineAlexander Kozhukh.
In the2006 Ukrainian local elections Klochkova was elected to theKharkiv City Council joining the faction of and became a member of theParty 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 toGeorgia before their son was born and Klochkova raised her son alone.[6]
Following theRussianinvasion andunilaterally 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 the30th 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 theanthem of our country, raise theflag."[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 thenUkraine's Youth and Sport MinisterVadym Gutzeit theUkrainian Swimming Federation had tried to contact Klochkova, but she had not responded.[12] On 16 September 2021 Klochkova organised a swimming cross of theDnipro 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 websiteObozrevatel she lives with her son inGurzuf.[8] Klochkova has never publicly made a statement on the2022 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" inKharkiv, 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 MayorMykhailo Dobkin, Vice Governor Sergei Storozhenko, Head of the Ukrainian Swimming Federation Oleg Dyomin, two-time Olympic champion volleyball playerYuriy 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 theKyiv branch of theNational 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]
Hergold medals came in the 200 meterindividual medley and the 400 meter individual medley at the2000 and2004 Summer Olympics;[16] hersilver medal came in the 800 meter freestyle at the2000 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 AmericanKatie Hoff at the2007 World Championships in Melbourne.[18]
On 28 July 2001, she won a silver medal by defeatingQi Hui of China in the women's 200-meter individual medley at the2001 World Aquatics Championships inFukuoka, 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 theSummer Universiade in South Korea.[20] In 2004, she was named bySwimming World magazine as theWorld Female Swimmer of the Year[21] and the same year was awardedHero of Ukraine medal by PresidentLeonid Kuchma.[22]
Yana Klochkova's titles include:
"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 andDonetsk.
| Meet | 400 free | 800 free | 200 fly | 200 medley | 400 medley | 4×100 free | 4×100 medley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EC 1997 | 23rd |  |  | ||||
| WC 1998 | 4th | | |||||
| EC 1999 | |  | | ||||
| EC 2000 | | | | ||||
| OG 2000 | | | | ||||
| WC 2001 | | | | ||||
| EC 2002 | | | | | |||
| WC 2003 | heats[a] | | | ||||
| EC 2004 | | | | | |||
| OG 2004 | | | 10th | ||||
| WC 2005 | |||||||
| EC 2006 | 4th | 9th | 4th | ||||
| WC 2007 | |||||||
| EC 2008 | 8th | 12th | 5th |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | World Record Holder Women's 400 Individual Medley 16 September 2000 – 1 April 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Record Holder Women's 400 Individual Medley (25 m) 20 January 2002 – 9 April 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Swimming World's World Swimmer of the Year 2004 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by Hannah Stockbauer | Swimming World's European Swimmer of the Year 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Summer Olympics | ||
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for UkraineBeijing 2008 | Succeeded by |
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