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Oleg Verniaiev

Oleg Verniaiev
Verniaiev in 2024
Personal information
Full nameOleg Yuriyovych Verniaiev
Alternative name(s)Oleg/Oleh Vernyayev
Country represented Ukraine
Born (1993-09-29) 29 September 1993 (age 31)
Donetsk, Ukraine
ResidenceKyiv, Ukraine
Height160 cm (5 ft 3 in)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team2011–20, 2023–present (UKR)
ClubArmed Forces of Ukraine
Head coach(es)Gennady Sartynsky
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 1 0
World Championships 1 3 1
European Championships 7 3 4
European Games 2 2 0
Summer Universiade 3 5 6
Total 14 14 11
Representing  Ukraine
Men's artistic gymnastics
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro All-Around
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Nanning Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2015 Glasgow Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2017 Montreal Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2018 Doha Parallel Bars
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Stuttgart All-Around
European Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 Baku All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2015 Baku Vault
Gold medal – first place 2019 Minsk Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2015 Baku Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Minsk All-Around
Silver medal – second place 2019 Minsk Pommel Horse
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sofia Parallel Bars
Gold medal – first place 2015 Montpellier All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2015 Montpellier Parallel Bars
Gold medal – first place 2016 Bern Vault
Gold medal – first place 2017 Cluj-Napoca All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2017 Cluj-Napoca Parallel Bars
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rimini Team
Silver medal – second place 2012 Montpellier Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2016 Bern Parallel Bars
Silver medal – second place 2024 Rimini All-around
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Moscow All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sofia Team
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sofia Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Cluj-Napoca Vault
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2015 Gwangju All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2015 Gwangju Parallel Bars
Gold medal – first place 2017 Taipei All-Around
Silver medal – second place 2013 Kazan Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Gwangju Floor Exercise
Silver medal – second place 2017 Taipei Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Taipei Pommel Horse
Silver medal – second place 2017 Taipei Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kazan All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kazan Parallel Bars
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Gwangju Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Gwangju Rings
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Gwangju Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Taipei Rings

Oleg Yuriyovych Verniaiev (Ukrainian: Олег Юрійович Верняєв; born 29 September 1993) is a Ukrainian artistic gymnast. He is the 2016 Olympic parallel bars champion and individual all-around silver medalist. Verniaiev is also the 2014 World parallel bars champion, the 2015 European individual all-around champion and the 2017 European individual all-around champion.

He is a three-time Olympian, having represented Ukraine at the 2012, 2016, and 2024 Olympic Games. He missed the 2020 Olympic Games due to a doping ban resulting from having tested positive for the banned substance meldonium in an out-of-competition test in August 2020.

Personal life

Verniaiev was born in Donetsk.[1] He was educated at the Donetsk State Institute of Health, Physical Education and Sport.[2]

Verniaiev resides in Kyiv.[1] He is coached by Gennady Sartynsky.[2][3]

Gymnastics career

2011–2012

During the 2011 Summer Universiade Verniaiev competed in the men's vault final, finishing in seventh with a score of 15.262.[4] He was also part of the Ukrainian team that finished fifth in the men's team final.[5] At the 2011 World Championships he competed in the team all-around event with Nikolai Kuksenkov, Vitaliy Nakonechnyi, Oleg Stepko, Igor Radivilov, and Roman Zozulya, finishing in fifth. He scored 14.461 on floor, 13.866 on pommel horse, 14.833 on vault, and 13.800 on parallel bars.[6]

Verniaiev finished sixth in the 2012 American Cup with a score of 88.132.[7] At the 2012 European Championships he participated in the team all-around final for the Ukrainian team that finished in fifth. He also made the parallel bars final, finishing in second place with a score of 15.66, 0.1 points behind the winner Marcel Nguyen of Germany.[8]

He was victorious in the all-around final of the 2012 Ukrainian Championships, scoring 90.300 points and winning by a margin of 2.65 points over second place Oleg Stepko.[9]

Verniaiev competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in the men's team event alongside Nikolai Kuksenkov, Vitalii Nakonechnyi, Oleg Stepko and Igor Radivilov. In the team final Ukraine finished in fourth with a score of 271.526, missing out on a medal by less than 0.2 points. Ukraine was initially awarded third place for a bronze medal; however following an appeal from Japan over a pommel horse score, the Japanese team was awarded an extra 0.7 points, allowing them to move from fourth place to second, knocking Ukraine out of the medals in the process. Verniaiev finished eleventh in the individual all-around final with a score of 88.931.

2013–2016

Verniaiev won the Ukrainian National Championships in 2013. He took the silver medal in the individual all-around finals at the 2013 American Cup. He won the bronze medal in the individual all-around at the 2013 European Championships in Moscow, Russia.

At the 2013 Summer Universiade, Verniaiev led his Ukrainian team (Igor Radivilov, Oleg Stepko, Petro Pakhnyuk, and Maksym Semiankiv) to a second-place finish in the team final, and qualified for the all-around final. He won the all-around bronze medal (tied with Russian gymnast David Belyavskiy). He won another bronze medal in the parallel bars final.

In May 2014, at the 2014 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, Verniaiev contributed scores of 15.100 (floor), 14.400 (pommel horse), 14.900 (rings), 14.783 (vault), 15.591 (parallel bars), and 14.600 (horizontal bar), helping Ukraine win the team bronze medal with a total score of 262.087 points behind Great Britain. In event finals, Verniaiev won the gold medal on the parallel bars (15.966) and won the bronze medal on vault (14.916).[10]

He won gold on the parallel bars at the 2014 World Championships in Nanning, China. After the wrong anthem (the anthem of Uzbekistan)[11] was played during the medal ceremony, he said "It was written in my face that I didn't like it. They came up and apologised for the anthem and promised to change it for TV broadcast. But I thought it would be incorrect, because I screwed up my face and it will be even worse if the anthem is replaced."[12]

Verniaiev at the 2015 European Games

Verniaiev won the 2015 American Cup in Arlington, Texas with a score of 90.597, 0.499 over silver medalist and 2013 World Championships all-around silver medalist Ryōhei Katō of Japan. Verniaiev also became the FIG World Cup series champion. At the 2015 European Championships Verniaiev won the individual all-around with a score of 89.582, beating 2013 champion David Belyavskiy. He also qualified to the parallel bars final where he won the gold medal with a score of 15.866. At the 2015 European Games, Verniaiev was part of the Ukrainian team, winning silver in the team final behind Russia. Verniaiev qualified into the all-around, floor exercise, pommel horse, vault, parallel bars, and high bar finals. He won the all-around final with a score of 90.332, and the vault final with a score of 15.266. He placed sixth on floor exercise with 14.233, and fifth on pommel horse (13.833), parallel bars (14.633), and high bar (14.900).

At the 2016 European Championships Verniaiev won a gold medal on vault and a silver medal on parallel bars. In August 2016, at the 2016 Olympic Games, he won the silver medal in the men's all-around competition with a score of 92.266, only 0.099 behind Kōhei Uchimura's 92.365. Verniaiev's Olympic all-around medal was Ukraine's first since Alexander Beresch won bronze at the 2000 Olympic Games.

Verniaiev also gained prominence for his public apology over the Ukrainian squad's strategy during the team final, when due to injuries they did not put up gymnasts on all events, effectively ruling the team out of contention.[13] He won the gold medal on the parallel bars, scoring 16.041, giving Ukraine its first gymnastics gold at the Games since 2004. He also finished fifth on vault and eighth on pommel horse and horizontal bar.

2017–2020

At the 2017 European Championships Verniaiev won gold medals in the individual all-around and on the parallel bars, and a bronze medal on vault.[14] At the 2017 Summer Universiade, Verniaiev won the gold medal in the individual all-around competition, and won silver with the team and on vault and pommel horse, and won the bronze medal on rings. At the 2017 World Championships Verniaiev won silver on parallel bars behind Zou Jingyuan.

At the 2018 World Championships Verniaiev once again won silver on parallel bars behind Zou.

In 2019 Verniaiev competed at the European Championships where he placed seventh on pommel horse and eighth on parallel bars. He next competed at the 2019 European Games where he won gold on parallel bars, silver in the all-around and on pommel horse, both behind David Belyavskiy. At the 2019 World Championships Verniaiev won bronze in the all-around behind Nikita Nagornyy and Artur Dalaloyan.

Verniaiev began 2020 competing at the American Cup, where he won silver behind Sam Mikulak.[15] The remainder of competitions in 2020 were either canceled or postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Doping and ban

In December 2020 Verniaiev was notified by the International Gymnastics Federation that he was provisionally suspended from competition, backdated to November 2020. The reason for the suspension was a positive test for meldonium, which was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency starting in January 2016. Following arbitration, the provisional suspension was upheld and Verniaiev was banned from competition for four years. During this suspension timeframe Verniaiev would miss both the 2020 Olympic Games (rescheduled to 2021) and the 2024 Olympic Games.

In July 2021 Verniaiev expressed his intention to appeal the suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, contending that meldonium was not found in subsequent tests.[16] He acknowledged the presence of the drug in his body, but said he does not know how it got there.[17]

On March 14, 2023, Verniaiev announced that his appeal was successful and the CAS reduced his ban to two years, resulting in his ability to return to competition immediately.[18]

Post-ban gymnastics career

2023–2024

Verniaiev made his return to competition in September 2023 at the Mersin Challenge Cup where he won gold on parallel bars and silver on pommel horse behind Ahmad Abu Al-Soud.[19] He competed at the 2023 World Championships where he helped Ukraine finish twelfth during qualifications. Although they didn't qualify to the team final, they qualified a full team to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Verniaiev competed at the 2024 European Championships alongside Nazar Chepurnyi, Illia Kovtun, Igor Radivilov, and Radomyr Stelmakh; together they qualified to the team final in first place and individually Verniaiev won silver in the all-around behind Marios Georgiou.[20] During the team final Verniaiev contributed scores on all six apparatuses towards Ukraine's first place finish.[21]

Verniaiev competed at the 2024 Olympic Games alongside Chepurnyi, Kovtun, Radivilov, and Stelmakh. During the qualification round he helped Ukraine qualify to the team final and individually he qualified to the all-around, pommel horse, and parallel bars finals. During the team final Verniaiev contributed scores on all six apparatuses towards Ukraine's fifth place finish.[22] He finished eighth in the all-around, fifth on pommel horse, and eighth on parallel bars.

Competitive history

Verniaiev (center) at the 2015 European Championships
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2011 Summer Universiade 5 7
World Championships 5
2012 Olympic Test Event 14 6
American Cup 6
European Championships 5 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Olympic Games 4 11
Ostrava Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2013 American Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
La Roche-sur-Yon World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Tokyo World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 5
Summer Universiade 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 8 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
World Championships 15 8
Swiss Cup 4
Stuttgart World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Glasgow World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2014 Cottbus Challenge Cup 5 7 8 8 7
Ljubljana Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 9 4 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Swiss Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Stuttgart World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Glasgow World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2015 American Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Cottbus Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ljubljana Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Games 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 5 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 5
Summer Universiade 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 4 6 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Osijek Challenge Cup 7 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Arthur Gander Memorial 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Swiss Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2016 Olympic Test Event 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 7 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6
Osijek Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4
Varna Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8
European Championships 4 7 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7
Olympic Games 8 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8 5 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8
Arthur Gander Memorial 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Swiss Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2017 American Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Stuttgart World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
London World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 7 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8
Summer Universiade 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Varna Challenge Cup 5 8 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5
Paris Challenge Cup 8 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 8 7 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Arthur Gander Memorial 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Swiss Cup 4
Cottbus Challenge Cup 4 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2018 Szombathely Challenge Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Kyiv Open 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 9 14 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Arthur Gander Memorial 8
Swiss Cup 4
2019
European Championships 7 8
Stella Zakharova Cup 4 4
European Games 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Szombathely Challenge Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 4 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4
World Championships 8 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2020 American Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Ukrainian Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2023 Mersin Challenge Cup 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 12
2024 Cairo World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Baku World Cup 5
European Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Olympic Games 5 8 5 8

Olympic results

2012 London Olympics

Event Position Total
Individual all-around 11 14.533 (13) 13.966 (14) 14.866 (=7) 16.233 (2) 15.033 (12) 14.300 (17) 88.931
Team all-around 4 14.866 (16) 16.266 (3) 15.600 (2) 14.466 (20) 271.526 (team total)

2016 Rio Olympics

Event Position Total
Individual all-around 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 15.033 (6) 15.533 (2) 15.300 (=3) 15.500 (2) 16.100 (1) 14.800 (=3) 92.266
Team all-around 8 15.633 (2) 15.900 (2) 202.078 (team total)
Horizontal bar 8 13.366 13.366
Parallel bars 1st place, gold medalist(s) 16.041 16.041
Pommel horse 8 12.400 12.400
Vault 5 15.316 15.316

References

  1. ^ a b "Ukrainian gymnast wins first ever World Cup". March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Stelmach, Ihor. "THE SUMMER OLYMPICS: Ukraine ready to compete in Rio". The Ukrainian Weekly. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "Oleg Verniaiev". london2012.com. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  4. ^ Turner, Amanda (August 16, 2011). "Minobe, Koczi Win Twice as University Games End". International Gymnast Magazine Online. Paul Ziert & Associates. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  5. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics — Men's Qualification and Team Competition" (PDF). sz2011.org. 14 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  6. ^ "Men's Team Final, Wed 12 Oct 2011" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Tokyo. 7–16 October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "Men Competition II Saturday, March 3" (PDF). usagym.org. 2012 AT&T American Cup.
  8. ^ "Seniors Apparatus Finals. Sun 27 May 2012" (PDF). gymnasticsresults.com. 30th European Artistic Gymnastics Team Championships Juniors and Seniors. Montpellier (FRA) 23–27 May 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  9. ^ "Lichikova, Vernayev Win Ukrainian Nationals". The All Around. 2012-06-27. Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
  10. ^ "Ablyazin, Wilson Dominate European Finals". International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  11. ^ Ganeev, Timur; RBTH, special to (2015-09-22). "10 national anthem blunders at sporting events". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  12. ^ "Ukrainian gymnasts return with medals from championship in China". Ukraine Today. 15 October 2014.
  13. ^ Boren, Cindy (August 9, 2016). "Ukraine ends mystery over controversial Olympics gymnastics 'strategy'". Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  14. ^ "Results 7th Petrom European Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships - Cluj Napoca/ROU 2017". www.ueg.org. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
  15. ^ "Hurd, Mikulak win American Cup titles". USA Gymnastics. March 7, 2020. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Oleg Verniaiev, Olympic gymnastics champion, reveals reason behind his suspension". NBC Sports. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Gymnast Oleg Verniaiev out of Olympics after doping ban". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. 13 July 2021. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Ukrainian Olympic gymnast Oleg Verniaiev has doping ban cut". ESPN. March 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Magnificent in Mersin, Ukraine and Türkiye savor golden days at World Challenge Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. September 6, 2023.
  20. ^ "Jarman and Kovtun Win European Titles on Day Two of Apparatus Finals in Rimini". International Olympic Committee. April 27, 2024.
  21. ^ "Ukraine rallies to win senior team title as men's European Championships conclude". International Gymnast Media. April 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Dramatic finish sweeps Japanese men to Paris 2024 Olympic team title". International Gymnastics Federation. July 29, 2024.