Yuliia Dzhima Explained

Yuliia Dzhyma
Birth Date:19 September 1990
Birth Place:Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR
Height:1.66 m
Weight:66 kg
Club:Skhid Kyiv
Wcdebut:2012
Olympicteams:3 (2014, 2018, 2022)
Olympicmedals:1
Olympicgolds:1
Worldsteams:10 (20122024)
Worldsmedals:5
Worldsgolds:0
Wcseasons:8 (2011/12–)
Wcwins:1
Wcpodiums:5
Updated:25 January 2023

Yuliia Valentynivna Dzhyma (Ukrainian: Юлія Валентинівна Джима; born 19 September 1990) is a Ukrainian World Cup level biathlete. She is Olympic champion in women's relay, multiple World championships medalist. She is one of the most successful Ukrainian biathletes of the 2010s.

Career

She took up biathlon in Kyiv, where she lives. She wasn't seen as a promising rising athlete at the beginning of her sporting career. She didn't show promising results in skiing, so trainers were doubtful whether she would be a good biathlete.[1]

In January 2008, she competed in her first international competition, Junior World Championships in German Ruhpolding. For the next three years, she was a member of the Ukrainian junior team. Dzhyma had good results, including bronze in the individual race at 2009 Junior European Championships.

On 4 January 2012, she debuted in German Oberhof in the women's relay with a team which later would win Olympic gold. Then they finished 8th. In two days, she had her first race in sprint, finishing 34th. Next season, 2012–13, she had one victory and two podiums in relay races. In 2013–14 season, she had her first podium in pursuit in Austrian Hochfilzen, finishing second. At the 2013 World Championships, she took silver in relay competition.

Together with Vita Semerenko, Valentyna Semerenko and Olena Bilosiuk she won the gold medal in the Women's relay at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia.

The following two seasons after the Olympics weren't very successful, but she had some Top-10 results. Her performances improved in 2016–17 season: in all World Cup rankings, she achieved her highest rankings, including a place in the Top-10 of the general World Cup classification for the first time in her career. That year, she won three medals at 2017 European Championships in Polish Duszniki-Zdrój, which was the most successful European championships for Yuliia. Next month, she received her second silver relay World Championships medal.

Pre-Olympic 2017–18 season started very successfully for her since in two opening races in Swedish Östersund, she finished third. On 28 December 2017, she participated in the prestigious commercial competition World Team Challenge, where she placed 5th together with Belgian biathlete Michael Rösch. She qualified to represent Ukraine at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[2] Due to illness she didn't take part in sprint. Besides, Ukrainian coaches thought she would qualify for mass start. Still, they were incompetent regarding rules regarding mass start qualification, so Yuliia participated only in the individual race, where she was 20th.[3] In relay competitions she was 7th in mixed relay and 11th in the classical relay.

She received the Best Athlete of a Month award from National Olympic Committee of Ukraine in January 2017.

Personal life

Yuliia's father is a former Ukrainian biathlete, Valentyn Dzhyma, who participated in the 1994 Winter Olympics and finished his career the following year. Her mother is also an athlete.

Since childhood, her hobby has been painting.[4]

Dzhyma studied foreign languages and social communications at Sumy State University.

After 2018 Winter Olympics, there were some rumors that Yuliia Dzyma being younger than 23 years, was dating the head coach of the Ukrainian women's national team Uroš Velepec.[5]

Biathlon results

Olympic Games

1 medal (1 gold)

EventIndividualSprintPursuitRelay
align=left 2014 Sochi7th42ndDNS22ndGold
align=left 2018 Pyeongchang20th11th7th
align=left 2022 Beijing10th8th13th7th7th13th

World Championships

5 medals (2 silver, 3 bronze)

EventIndividualSprintPursuitRelay
align=left 2012 Ruhpolding39th48throwspan="5"
align=left 2013 Nové Město13thSilver9th
align=left 2015 Kontiolahti38th6th11th
align=left 2016 Oslo22nd31st9th25th5th
align=left 2017 Hochfilzen9th22nd23rd6thSilver5th
align=left 2019 Östersund12th54thDNSBronze
align=left 2020 Antholz-Anterselva27th22nd19thBronze5th
align=left 2021 Pokljuka32nd37th25thBronze4th
2023 Oberhof40th29th14th10th
2024 Nové Město na Moravě39th21st35th5th7th

World Cup

Individual podiums

SeasonPlace Competition Placement
Pursuit 2nd
Individual 3rd
Sprint 3rd
Sprint 3rd
Individual 1st
Individual 2nd
Individual 2nd
Sprint 2nd

Relay podiums

SeasonPlace Competition Placement
Relay bgcolor=silver2nd
Relay 1st
Relay bgcolor=silver2nd
Relay 1st
Relay 2nd
Relay 3rd
Single mixed relay 3rd
Relay 3rd
Relay bgcolor=gold1st
Relay bgcolor=silver2nd
Relay 3rd
Relay bgcolor=silver2nd

Positions

Season Individual SprintPursuit Mass starts Overall
48 68 60
21 20 38 36 30
18 28 20 18
15 34 21 31 24
17 15 13 14 13
13
bgcolor=silver12 17 19 11
7 50 60 38 37
10 41 37 43 36
4 16 20 26 17
38 35 42 47 41

Individual victories

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yuliia Dzhima: "First I cried and wished anything except sport..." (with photos). Ukrainian Biathlon Federation. 3 December 2012.
  2. Web site: Ukrainian squad for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Ukrainian Biathlon Federation. 20 January 2018.
  3. Web site: Yuliia Dzyma may not qualify for mass start at 2018 Winter Olympics due to coaches' mistake. segodnya.ua. 13 February 2018.
  4. Web site: Yuliia Dzhima: "First I cried and wished anything except sport..." (with photos). Ukrainian Biathlon Federation. 3 December 2012.
  5. Web site: Urainian biathlete is dating notorious coach. sport.znaj.ua. 26 February 2018.