Anna Ryzhykova

Anna Ryzhykova
Ryzhykova in 2022
Personal information
Born (1989-11-24) November 24, 1989 (age 35)
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Weight57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
CountryUkraine
SportAthletics
Event(s)400 m hurdles
4×400 m relay
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Ukraine
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London 4×400 m relay
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Helsinki 400 m hurdles
Silver medal – second place 2014 Zürich 4x400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2018 Berlin 400 m hurdles
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Munich 400 m hurdles
European Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Braunschweig 400 m hurdles
Gold medal – first place 2014 Braunschweig 4x400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2013 Gateshead 400 m hurdles
Military World Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Mungyeong 400 m hurdles
Silver medal – second place 2015 Mungyeong 4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2019 Wuhan 400 m hurdles
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Wuhan 4×400 m relay
European U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Ostrava 400 m hurdles
Silver medal – second place 2011 Ostrava 4×400 m relay
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2008 Bydgoszcz 4×400 m relay
European Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2007 Hengelo 4×100 m relay
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2011 Shenzhen 400 m hurdles
Silver medal – second place 2013 Kazan 400 m hurdles
Representing  Europe
IAAF Continental Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Ostrava 400 m hurdles
Anna Ryzhykova at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Anna Vasylivna Ryzhykova, nee Yaroshchuk (Ukrainian: Анна Василівна Рижикова (Ярощук); born 24 November 1989) is a Ukrainian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. At the European Athletics Championships, she won silver medals in 2012 and 2018, and bronze in 2022. Ryzhykova placed fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She won gold medals at the 2011 Summer Universiade and European U23 Championships. Ryzhykova is the Ukrainian record holder in her specialist event with a time of 52.96 seconds.

Career

Anna Yaroshchuk began her career in the sprinting events and represented Ukraine in the 200 metres at the Gymnasiade in 2006. In 2007, she ran a personal best of 24.58 seconds for the event and in a team with Hanna Titimets, Nataliya Pohrebnyak and Yelizaveta Bryzhina she set a national junior record in the 4×100 metres relay to take the silver medal at the 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships.[1] She switched to the 400 m hurdles a year later and the move proved beneficial, as she won the national junior title and placed sixth in the event at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics.[2] She also helped the Ukrainian 4×400 metres relay team to win the silver medal behind the United States in national junior record time.[3]

She was eighth in the hurdles at the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships and Ukraine came fourth in the relay. Yaroshchuk won her first senior national title in the hurdles that year and improved her personal best time to 57.23 seconds. Further personal bests came at the 2010 Ukrainian championships, as she was runner-up in the 200 m and 400 m hurdles with times of 23.49 seconds and 55.60 seconds respectively.[1] She gained selection for the 2010 European Athletics Championships, but was eliminated in the semi-final of the competition.[2]

Yaroshchuk ran a personal best of 54.77 seconds to win the hurdles gold at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships ahead of compatriot Hanna Titimets and the two later combined their efforts to claim the silver in the 4 x 400m relay behind Russia.[4] She won her second 400 m hurdles gold of the season at the Summer Universiade.[5]

She placed third at the 2012 European Championships, clocking 54.35 seconds. The 2012 London Olympics were unsuccessful for her, as she went out of the hurdles event in the second semi-final in 55.51, but won a bronze medal as part of women's 4 x 400m relay after the Russian team was disqualified for the second time in 2017.

In 2018, Ryzhykova took a silver medal in her specialist event at the European Championships with a time of 54.51 seconds, behind only Switzerland's Léa Sprunger who ran 54.33. Meghan Beesley of Great Britain in third was almost one second slower.

She placed seventh at the 2019 World Championships in a time of 54.45 seconds (equal with a mark of USA's Ashley Spencer in sixth).

She then improved her position at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by placing fifth in the final with a 53.48 seconds performance. Her compatriot Viktoriya Tkachuk came sixth in 53.79.[6]

Competition record

Representing  Ukraine
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
2007 European Junior Championships Hengelo, Netherlands 2nd 4 × 100 m relay 44.77
2008 World Junior Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 6th 400 m hurdles 58.43
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:34.20
2009 European U23 Championships Kaunas, Lithuania 8th 400 m hurdles 57.26
4th 4 × 400 m relay 3:30.78
2010 European Championships Barcelona, Spain 11th (h) 400 m hurdles 56.29
2011 European U23 Championships Ostrava, Czech Republic 1st 400 m hurdles 54.77 PB
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:30.13
Universiade Shenzhen, China 1st 400 m hurdles 55.15
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 10th (sf) 400 m hurdles 55.09
– 4 × 400 m relay DQ
2012 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 2nd 400 m hurdles 54.35 PB
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 12th (sf) 400 m hurdles 55.51
3rd 4 x 400 m relay 3:23.57
2013 European Team Championships Gateshead, Great Britain 2nd 400 m hurdles 55.27
Universiade Kazan, Russia 2nd 400 m hurdles 54.77
World Championships Moscow, Russia 6th 400 m hurdles 55.01
2014 European Team Championships Braunschweig, Germany 1st 400 m hurdles 55.00
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:27.66
European Championships Zürich, Switzerland – 400 m hurdles DQ
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:24.32
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 9th (sf) 400 m hurdles 55.16
Military World Games Mungyeong, South Korea – 100 m hurdles DNF
2nd 400 m hurdles 55.74
2nd 4 × 400 m relay 3:30.66
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 8th (sf) 400 m 52.74
4th 4 × 400 m relay 3:31.32
European Championships Berlin, Germany 2nd 400 m hurdles 54.51
2019 European Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 9th (sf) 400 m 53.22
World Relays Yokohama, Japan – 4 × 400 m relay DQ
World Championships Doha, Qatar 7th 400 m hurdles 54.45
6th 4 × 400 m relay 3:27.48
2021 European Indoor Championships Toruń, Poland 5th (sf) 400 m 52.11
5th 4 × 400 m relay 3:30.38
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 5th 400 m hurdles 53.48
9th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:24.50
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 8th 400 m hurdles 54.93
9th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:29.25
European Championships Munich, Germany 3rd 400 m hurdles 54.86
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 10th (sf) 400 m hurdles 54.42
2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 12th (sf) 400 m hurdles 54.95
12th (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:27.69
Olympic Games Paris, France 23rd (sf) 400 m hurdles 55.65

References

  1. ^ a b Anna Ryzhykova. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2011-08-23.
  2. ^ a b Anna Yaroshchuk. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-082-3.
  3. ^ 2008 WJ Championships - Women's 4x400m relay. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-08-23.
  4. ^ Tsakonas claims 200 gold at European Athletics U23 Championships. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-08-23.
  5. ^ Portugal’s Évora bounces back from injury at World University Games. European Athletics (2011-08-19). Retrieved on 2011-08-23.
  6. ^ "The XXXII Olympic Games, Tokyo | 400m hurdles Women – 04 Aug 2021 | Final". World Athletics. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2022-03-11.