Olga McGlinchey
Weight60 kg (132 lb)[1]
Born (1986-01-03) 3 January 1986
Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Olympic team United Kingdom
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Women's freestyle wrestling
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2012 Strathcona County59kg[2]
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place2011 Dortmund 59kg[2]
Bronze medal – third place2014 Vantaa 59kg[2]
Commonwealth Championship
Silver medal – second place2013 Johannesburg 63kg[2]
Women's catch wrestling
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Bolton63kg[3]

Olga McGlinchey[4][5] (née Butkevych; born 3 January 1986) is a Ukrainian-British wrestler. She became Britain's first medalist at the World Wrestling Championships by winning bronze in 2012. She is also a two-time European Championship (2011, 2014) bronze medalist and 2013 Commonwealth Championship silver medalist.[2] Butkevych was granted British citizenship and a passport just two months before the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was Britain's sole wrestler at the 2012 Olympics.[6]

Biography

Butkevych was born on 3 January 1986 in Zaporizhia,[7] Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.[8] She began wrestling at fourteen.[6] She represented Ukraine in junior competition, placing fifth at the 2005 World Junior Championships and first at the 2006 European Junior Championships.[2]

Butkevych was brought to Britain in 2007 by Nikolei Kornieiev, the Ukrainian-born coach of the British team, to help with training and to act as a sparring partner for British wrestlers.[9] She began competing for Great Britain at wrestling competitions, including the World Championships, where national citizenship is not required.[10] She took third place in the women's 59 kilograms (130 lb) competition at the European Wrestling Championships in April 2011, her first international medal for Great Britain.[11] She placed second in the 2012 Summer Olympics wrestling test event in December 2011.[12]

For Butkevych to compete at the 2012 Games, she needed to gain British citizenship. The sport's governing body petitioned the Home Office in order to ensure that this was received in time for her registration for the Games.[9] She became eligible for British citizenship in February 2012 after living in the UK for five years,[9] and was granted British citizenship and a passport in May 2012.[13] She had originally been turned down for the citizenship in March 2012, but was awarded it on appeal.[14] This was controversial and led to some newspapers labelling her as a "Plastic Brit".[15] Fellow Ukrainian and British wrestling team member Yana Stadnik had her citizenship application turned down at the same time that Butkevych's was awarded.[16] Butkevych was Great Britain's sole wrestler at the 2012 Summer Games, where she competed in the women's 55 kilograms (121 lb) category. Great Britain were originally due to have three wrestling places, but the Olympic Qualification Standards ruled that it should be reduced to a single spot; with Butkevych taking that spot.[12] In the Olympic finals, she lost to Lissette Antes of Ecuador and was placed 11th in the final standings.

In September 2012, she became the first British wrestler to medal at the World Championships, when she won a bronze, in Edmonton, Canada.[17]

In December 2013, Butkevych competed at the Commonwealth Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa, and took silver.[2]

In April 2014, she competed at the European Championship in Vantaa, Finland, finishing third again.[2]

In November 2019, Butkevych competed at the World Championships for catch wrestling in Bolton, England, winning gold.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Olga Butkevych". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Butkevich, Olga (GBR)". whatsmat.uww.org. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Catch Wrestling World Championships 2019". Snake Pit Wigan. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Anthony, Craig (15 November 2023). "Empowering Women in Sports: A Recap of the "Have a Go Females" Event at the British Wrestling Academy". British Wrestling. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Whittle, Jay (30 October 2019). "Wigan snakepit to host World Championships - with UFC fighters and Olympian taking part". Wigan Today. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  6. 1 2 Michaelas, Andreas (2 August 2012). "Ambitious Olga wants to do it for Britain!". British Wrestling. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Olga Butkevych". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  8. ↑ "Olga Butkevych Profile". British Wrestling Association. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 Mendick, Robert (4 December 2011). "Race is on to get British passport for Olympic wrestling star". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  10. ↑ Hope, Nick (12 April 2011). "British wrestlers frustrated over the recruitment of foreign athletes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  11. ↑ Hope, Nick (4 April 2011). "Euro wrestling bronze for Olga Butkevych in Germany". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  12. 1 2 "London 2012: Olga Butkevych wins GB's only wrestling spot". BBC Sport. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Hope, Nick (30 May 2012). "London 2012: Ukraine-born Olga Butkevych may wrestle for GB". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Wrestling: Adopted Brit Olga Butkevych wants to give Great Britain a". The Independent. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  15. ↑ "London 2012: 'Plastic Brit' Olga Butkevych determined to win a wrestling medal to repay adopted country".
  16. ↑ Shea, Julian (30 May 2012). "GB wrestlers pay price for failure as London 2012 team reduced to one". Metro. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  17. ↑ Hope, Nick (28 September 2012). "Olga Butkevych becomes Britain's first female medallist at worlds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
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