Impairment Information |
Type of Impairment |
Limb deficiency |
Origin of Impairment |
Acquired |
Classification |
LW12 |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Husband Sergiy Khyzhnyak |
Residence |
Kiev, UKR |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
Russian, Ukrainian |
Higher education |
Sport Studies - Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi State Pedagogical University: Ukraine |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
At age 13 she took up sitting volleyball. She then took up para-skiing and biathlon at age 16 in Kiev after she had been in the mountains for the first time and loved it. |
Why this sport? |
Once she tried the sport she found it addictive and wanted to keep on doing it. |
Club / Team |
Invasport: Kiev, UKR |
Name of coach |
Valery Kazakov |
Coach from which country? |
Ukraine |
Senior International Debut |
Year |
2001 |
Competing for |
Ukraine |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Lena (invasport.org.ua, 22 Oct 2013) |
Hobbies |
Spending time with her family, fishing with friends. (other.sport.ua, 11 Mar 2010; naiu.org.ua, 01 Apr 2010) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning the first of her four gold medals won at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin. (Athlete, 13 Mar 2014) |
Most influential person in career |
Her mother, and her coach. (other.sport.ua, 23 Mar 2010; Athlete, 13 Mar 2014) |
Hero / Idol |
Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen. (Athlete, 13 Mar 2014) |
Injuries |
She injured her shoulder and elbow joints at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. (other.sport.ua, 11 Mar 2010) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Never stop striving to achieve your goals." (Athlete, 13 Mar 2014) |
Awards and honours |
She holds the title of Honoured Master of Sport in Ukraine. (invasport.org.ua, 22 Oct 2013)
She was Ukraine's flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (sportaso.info, 13 Mar 2010)
In 2006 she was given the highest decoration of Ukraine, the title of Hero of Ukraine. (gorod.cn.ua, 23 Feb 2009) |
Other sports |
She was a member of Ukraine's sitting volleyball team at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. She has also competed in both para-biathlon and cross-country skiing. (other.sport.ua, 23 Mar 2010; Paralympic.org, 2014) |
Famous relatives |
Her husband Sergiy Khyzhnyak also competed in para-Nordic skiing and participated in the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. In 2013, he switched to shooting. (goroduman.com, 23 Mar 2010; invasport.org.ua, 22 Oct 2013; Athlete, 17 Jan 2014) |
Impairment |
She had chickenpox at age three. Complications from the illness were so serious that doctors had to amputate her legs. (gorod.cn.ua, 23 Feb 2009; Athlete, 13 Mar 2014) |
Paralympic Games - Para biathlon |
| Rank |
Year |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2002 |
7.5km Individual - Sitting |
30:41.8 |
| 1 |
2006 |
7.5km Sprint - Sitting |
28:03.4 |
| 1 |
2006 |
10km Individual - Sitting |
35:09.1 |
| 1 |
2010 |
2.4km Pursuit - Sitting |
|
| 2 |
2010 |
10km Individual - Sitting |
37:07.8 |
| 3 |
2014 |
6km Sprint - Sitting |
19:39.6 |
| 4 |
2014 |
10km Middle - Sitting |
34:49.2 |
| 3 |
2014 |
12.5km Individual - Sitting |
41:30.8 |
Paralympic Games - Para cross-country |
| Rank |
Year |
Event |
Result |
| 3 |
2002 |
2.5km - Sitting |
9:38.2 |
| 3 |
2002 |
5km - Sitting |
21:18.3 |
| 3 |
2002 |
10km - Sitting |
35:25.6 |
| 1 |
2006 |
2.5km - Sitting |
8:27.9 |
| 1 |
2006 |
5km - Sitting |
16:39.7 |
| 2 |
2006 |
10km - Sitting |
31:50.9 |
| 3 |
2006 |
3 x 2.5km Relay Open |
24:54.5 |
| 3 |
2010 |
10km - Sitting |
32:43.5 |
| 4 |
2010 |
5km - Sitting |
15:19.7 |
| 2 |
2010 |
3 x 2.5km Relay Open |
20:42.7 |
| 2 |
2010 |
1km Sprint - Sitting |
|
| Semifinals |
2014 |
1km Sprint - Sitting |
3:05.4 |
| 2 |
2014 |
4 x 2.5km Relay Open |
25:17.9 |
| 14 |
2014 |
5km - Sitting |
18:23.8 |
World Championships - Para biathlon |
| Rank |
Year |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2002/2003 |
10km Individual - Sitting |
49:24.5 |
| 1 |
2002/2003 |
7.5km Sprint - Sitting |
30:50.1 |
| 3 |
2004/2005 |
7.5km Sprint - Sitting |
35:34.5 |
| 2 |
2004/2005 |
10km Individual - Sitting |
41:56.0 |
| 1 |
2008/2009 |
3km Pursuit - Sitting |
|
| 1 |
2008/2009 |
10km Individual - Sitting |
45:12.3 |
| 2 |
2010/2011 |
2.4km Pursuit - Sitting |
12:18.6 |
| 1 |
2010/2011 |
7.5km Sprint - Sitting |
23:02.3 |
| 2 |
2010/2011 |
10km Individual - Sitting |
37:11.1 |
| 1 |
2012/2013 |
6km Sprint - Sitting |
21:17.3 |
| 1 |
2012/2013 |
10km Middle - Sitting |
38:11.8 |
| 3 |
2012/2013 |
12.5km Individual - Sitting |
45:02.0 |
World Championships - Para cross-country |
| Rank |
Year |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2002/2003 |
2.5km - Sitting |
9:50.7 |
| 2 |
2002/2003 |
5km - Sitting |
19:31.4 |
| 2 |
2002/2003 |
10km - Sitting |
40:40.0 |
| 2 |
2004/2005 |
5km - Sitting |
18:59.6 |
| 4 |
2004/2005 |
2.5km - Sitting |
8:50.6 |
| 4 |
2004/2005 |
10km - Sitting |
36:57.3 |
| 2 |
2004/2005 |
3 x 2.5km Relay Open |
26:06.1 |
| 2 |
2008/2009 |
10km - Sitting LW10-12 |
34:52.2 |
| 2 |
2008/2009 |
3 x 2.5km Relay Open |
24:11.8 |
| 2 |
2008/2009 |
5km - Sitting LW10-12 |
17:46.2 |
| 1 |
2008/2009 |
1km Sprint - LW10-12 |
|
| 8 |
2010/2011 |
5km - Sitting |
14:44.7 |
| 6 |
2010/2011 |
1km Sprint - Sitting |
|
| 2 |
2010/2011 |
3 x 2.5km Relay Open |
20:40.3 |
| 2 |
2012/2013 |
1km Sprint - Sitting |
|
| 9 |
2012/2013 |
5km - Sitting |
15:26.1 |
