Olha Zhovnir (born June 18, 1989 in Ostroh

Ostroh

Ostroh is a historic city located in Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine, located on the Horyn River. Ostroh is the administrative center of the Ostroh Raion and is itself designated as a special administrative subordination within the oblast...

) is a Ukrainian

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 fencer and member of the team which won the gold medal in sabre at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

.

The Ukrainian team (she has stayed a member of) won gold in the Sabre final beating Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 during the 2009

2009 European Fencing Championships

The 2009 European Fencing Championships was held at the International Fair Plovdiv in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The event took place from July 14 to July 19, 2009.-Schedule:...

 and 2010 European Fencing Championships

2010 European Fencing Championships

The 2010 European Fencing Championships was the 23rd edition and was being held in Leipzig, Germany. The event took place from July 17–22, 2010.-Schedule:...

. At the 2009 World Fencing Championships

2009 World Fencing Championships

2009 World Fencing Championships was held at the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya, Turkey. The event took place from September 30 to October 8, 2009.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-Foil individual:3 October - Final-Epée individual:...

 Zhovnir and her teammates beat France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

to win gold. The team won the title "Team of the Year" at the (Ukrainian) "Sports Heroes of the Year 2009" ceremony in April 2010.