Olena Chub
Olena Chub was born in the village Yaresky Shyshatskiy district in Poltava. When she was five years old, she has already skied, skis made her father. Her childhood was difficult, because at that time began the Second World War. During the occupation of the village Yaresky Germans tried to send the Olena to work in Germany twice, and
she twice ran away. The young girl was hiding from sending to Germany at her elder sister in the Kharkiv region. Once in the house came the tired soldiers. Mistress gave tea to drink for soldiers - on the street was thirty degrees of frost. That year was a lot of snow, so the soldiers were given skis, but they could not to walk on them. Soldiers were telling with regret how many of their comrades were killed because of it, during the river crossing. Those who could swim caught a tree and sailed, the boats picked up them and rescued, and who could not - just went to the bottom. After that Olena has promised after the war to go to college of physical education and for her lifetime teach people to swim and ski. After graduating in 1944 a school in her native Yaresky, Olena Chub arrived in Kharkiv to eneter the Institute of Gymnastics. When she learned that college was evacuated to Kiev, she entered the Kharkov Institute of Law, the first that caught her eye. For studying in the capital she had no money. After entering the university she immediately entered ski and athletics sections.
Olena Chub received her first victory in 1947 on the Ukrainian championship among students. She was the winner in the ski sport. At the same time, she - student of third year, was sent to Kiev to train to participate in the parade of athletes, which was held in Moscow. Training lasted for two months. That's when she was noticed by the rector of the Kiev Institute of physical education and he offered her to enter his university. Olena could not immediately make a decision, and when she returned from Moscow, she learned that her documents were in Kiev, the Institute of Physical Education. Kievers themselves filed a request in Kharkov and take care of everything. So from the 4th year of Institute of Law Olena got on the 1st year of the Institute of Physical Education. During her studies at the university she has won regional competitions in running, skating, throwing the kernel disk. But more often she won ski racing.
After graduating the institute Olena worked in the 177-th school in Kiev for forty years. The school had 100 pairs of skis and two sets of sports equipment in the gym. Each year Olena brought in Yaresky children, put tents near the 
river with them and taught them to swim.
But on this Olena did not stop. In 1999, when she was already 75 years old, she has built a stadium in her native village Yaresky. Exept the school children of the fifth and seventh grades noone helped, even parents of the children did not come. At the request of Olena one of the leaders of local businesses has delivered gravel, sand, sod football gate, basketball boards and benches for spectators. She did not have more help from the villagers or the government.
The life of Olena Chub in professional sport began accidentally. In 1998 there was meeting of alumni of Kyiv Institute of Physical Education. A friend of Olena asked her why she did not participate in the competitions of veterans. A woman did not even know of its existence. The next day they went together to the State Committee of Ukraine. Olena was met there with disbelief but then they took risks and gave her the opportunity to try.
A few months later she was in Italy at the European Championship in athletics among veterans. The first victory of Olena Chub was at the World Championships in Athletics, held in 1999 in England. Opponents quickly overtook our countrywoman in a circle. Olena did not even hope for a victory, she planned to at least reach the finish line. But after a few laps back athletes who constantly loomed ahead, began to approach and it took some time for Olena to be one circle in front. Crossing the finish line Olena saw the result on the scoreboard: the second place took Ukraine. Olena Chub was 75 years old.
Second victory for our townswoman became a gold medal in race walking for 20 km at the World Championships in Athletics in Spain in 2000. The way to the competition was not easy. The government practically did not finance a trip of Olena, so on the way Olena Chub had to sleep in a tent on the automobile service stations, while other athletes stayed in hotels.
Our countrywoman for the first time in her life came at a distance of 20 km race walking. When she ran 15 km, she heard the roar of the stadium. Looking back, she saw that there are no rivals on the track: forty-, fifty years old athletes have not sustained and were quit the race. When the national anthem rang, the stadium gave standing
ovation.
In 2001 at the World Cup in Australia, Olena Chub nearly missed the competition: in hurry she forgot her sport uniform in her tent. At the start the judge did not allow Olena to compete without her form. Elena was desperate: so much time she was preparing and everything was in vain. Suddenly, an American athlete caught the judge's hand – he did not give start from starting pistol. Other members quickly found a replacement uniform for our countrywoman. Athletes did not want to let Olena miss the opportunity to take part in the event. And not in vain: this woman won the silver medal in race walking at 5 km.
In 2006 in Italy in World Championship competition participated young athletes from the Ukraine. Came about 60 people, and they won a bronze medal only. At the same time 11 of the Ukrainian sportsmen-veterans brought 4 gold (three of them won Olena Chub) and 2 bronze medals.
In 2007 in Finland at the world championship in skiing at each distance (5, 10 and 15 kilometers) Olena won the gold medal. Competitions were held in the mountains. Simultaneously the European Championship in Athletics held in Helsinki. Coming down from the mountains, Olena Chub has won two gold medals in race walking (3 km and 5 km) and a silver medal in 60 meters.
During the years 1999-2008 there were competitions in the Czech Republic, USA, Norway, Poland, Italy, France and other countries with their the European championship, world cup, Masters cup in skiing, of course, victories. Silver, bronze and gold medals. All in all our heroine has 33 awards - 18 gold, 12 silver and 3 bronze medals.
