Konstantin Lokhanov
Personal information | |
---|---|
Native name | Константин Игоревич Лоханов[1] |
Nickname | Kostya |
Nationality | Russian |
Born | Aktobe, Kazakhstan | November 10, 1998
Alma mater | Saratov State Academy of Law |
Height | 199.4 cm (6 ft 7 in)[2] |
Spouse | |
Relative | San Diego, California , United States |
Achievements and titles | |
Highest world ranking |
|
Medal record |
Konstantin Lokhanov (Russian: Константин Игоревич Лоханов; born 10 November 1998; nicknamed Kostya)
Early years
Lokhanov was born in
He studied at the Saratov State Academy of Law in the Russian Federation.[3] His mother, with whom Lokhanov was very close, died of COVID-19 at the end of 2021 during the pandemic, at 43 years of age.[6][7] His father moved to Kazakhstan after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[4]
Fencing career
Russia; Four-time world junior champion, and Olympian (2014–21)
Lokhanov began fencing when he was eight years old, inspired by watching the Soviet Musketeers and Star Wars to ask his mother to take him to learn to fence.[5]
He was ranked #1 in the world in cadet sabre in both 2014 and 2015.[3] He is also a two-time world junior sabre champion (2017, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; 2018 in Verona, Italy), and was ranked #1 in the world those years in junior sabre.[3][8]
In 2014 he won a
Lokhanov won a bronze medal at the January 2016 Phoenix Fencing World Cup in Arizona, in the United States.[3] He won silver medals at the October 2016 Plovidv World Cup in Bulgaria, and the November 2016 Sochi World Cup in Russia.[3][11]
Lokhanov also won a gold medal in team sabre at the 2016 World Junior Fencing Championships.[12] That year he received the title of Master of Sport of International Class in the Russian Federation.[3]
Lokhanov won the 2017 World Junior Fencing Championship in individual sabre, as well as in team sabre.[3][13] In March 2017 he won a bronze medal in the European Junior Championships.[14] Lokhanov won a gold medal at the October 2017 Sosnowiec World Cup in Poland, and won a bronze medal at the 2017 Plovidv World Cup in Bulgaria.[3] He won a gold medal at the November 2017 Sochi World Cup in Russia.[3] In 2017, he was ranked the #1 junior sabre fencer in the world.[6]
Lokhanov repeated, and won the 2018 World Junior Fencing Championship in individual sabre, giving him a total of four junior world championships.[3][12] In March 2018, at the European Junior Championships is Sochi, Russia, he won a silver medal in sabre team and a bronze medal in individual sabre.[14] In 2018, he was ranked the #1 junior sabre fencer in the world for the second year in a row.[6]
At the 2019 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Lokhanov was defeated in the quarter-finals by gold medal winner Oh Sang-uk of South Korea.
In 2021, Lokhanov competed in sabre at the Tokyo Olympics.[15] He came in 7th in team sabre, and 24th in individual sabre (losing to 2018 world champion Kim Jung-hwan of South Korea).[16][17]
Used to winning gold medals, Lokhanov was devastated that he had not performed better at the Olympics, and upon arriving home he "lay in bed for a month, ordering food delivery."[5] Describing what his Olympic experience had been like, he said:
The Olympic Village is an island of broken dreams. Everyone comes there joyful and inspired, although, naturally, they are nervous. And then there are competitions every day. And every day there are more and more sad people. Several thousand people take part in the Olympics, and hundreds of them win medals. And the rest simply remain in the shadows, go home with nothing, as happened to us.[5]
United States; US Summer National Champion (2022–present)
2022–23; US championship
Lokhanov went into surgery in Germany for a hip injury the day before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and woke up to the news of the attack.[4] Shocked and troubled by Russia's invasion, Lokhanov decided, there and then, not to return to Russia; he says his decision took him 10 seconds.[4] Lokhanov has no desire to fence for Russia again.[18] He said: "You need to leave something behind to move forward."[4]
He then rehabbed in Germany, and emigrated to the United States in May 2022.[19][20][21][18] He said: "I decided I could no longer live in a country that kills innocent Ukrainians."[18] He also said "Fencing is a very small part of the life. Being human is way more."[6] Lokhanov had the word “Liberty” tattooed on his right forearm, shortly after he emigrated to the United States.[18][15] In December 2022 he posted on Instagram: "I’m against this war .... I express my support to all Ukrainians, as well as to the fencers and other athletes from Ukraine. Unfortunately, I couldn’t publicly speak about this earlier."[4]
Lokhanov does not think of himself as having been brave.[18] Rather, he believes he simply made a natural decision, and it is a decision that he does not regret.[18] In order for one to remain in Russia, he said: “You need to forget that killing other people is bad.”[18] When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, he said, for him: "everything split into black and white. When I hear that everything is not clear, what is not clear? It's as clear as possible. To kill other people is bad.”[18]
In 2023, USA Fencing granted Russians living in the United States the right to compete in American competitions as neutral athletes, if they sign a public declaration denouncing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In July 2023, Ukrainian four-time world individual sabre champion
Through 2023, he was among the few Russian athletes world-wide who had come out as staunchly against Russia’s invasion; while other Russian athletes have spoken about their general desire for peace, most stopped short of criticizing Russia's war.
2024–present; US Olympic Committee support for US citizenship
The
Shortly after the support of the USOPC and USA Fencing for the defecting fencers to obtain U.S. citizenship was made public,
As of 2024, Lokhanov is a sabre fencing coach teaching and training at La Jolla Fencing Academy in
Unless extraordinary United States government intervention is undertaken, The New York Times reported, it is unlikely that he will gain
Personal life
Views on Russian invasion of Ukraine
Speaking about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lokhanov said:
Before the start of the war, political issues were not so pressing for me. Again, everyone will say that the war began in 2014, which is true. But I was 15 years old then. What policy? I had no time for this. There was a question about where to get chips and Coca-Cola.
As an adult, I always had critical thinking, especially with regard to social issues..... Why didn't I publicly speak out against it? Because if you, for example, support
Navalny, then you will not become a high-level athlete. In Russia it works like this. But with the beginning of a full-scale invasion, my worldview seemed to sharpen, everything became black and white. For me this war is unacceptable. You can't kill innocent people.[5]
Lokhanov said that people could stay in Russia, even if they did not support the war.[31] But that: ""you need to stay quiet. You cannot even talk to your friends because you never know. Maybe they're pro-war and they might report you. It's the feeling that you're not free."[31]
Marriage, divorce, and grousing father-in-law
In September 2020, six years after they met and two years after they began dating, Lokhanov married fellow Olympic sabre fencer Sofia Pozdniakova.[5][44] She is a 2018 individual sabre world champion, 2019 team sabre world champion, and 2021 both individual sabre and team sabre Olympic champion.[45] She is also a Russian Armed Forces athlete.[46]
Lokhanov had twp surgeries in Germany to address a right thigh/hip problem, the first in September 2021, two months after the Tokyo Olympics. His second surgery was on February 23, 2022--as it turned out, the day before Russia invaded Ukraine.[15][7][20][18] His surgery led to him spending the next six weeks on crutches.[5] When he came out of his surgery, he saw for the first time the news of the launch of Russia's invasion.[4] A few minutes after waking up from his surgery, upon hearing the news of the attack he decided never to return to Russia.[31]
Lokhanov emigrated to the United States in 2022, after the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, strongly opposed to Russia's war.[15][34][20] He said of the Russian government: "They started the war, killing the peoples and thinking it’s normal."[15]
Lokhanov invited his wife to join him in America.[5] She later said: "As for feelings, love, there was a moment when we did not understand where to go. I got up in the morning and thought: “That’s it, I’m going to the States.” I was figuring out how I would communicate with my parents, how to explain all this to my dad... He would simply erase me from his life. Then the next day such thoughts: “So, I’m staying here, my parents, my family - this is important to me."[5] After many hours of telephone conversations in which she struggled with her decision, she declined and ultimately filed for divorce; they divorced in 2022.[5][6][18][34][47][48] Her father called his daughter’s decision "the most important gift for Father’s Day."[5] She said she was grateful to Lokhanov for many things, but that the two of them had gone in "different directions."[18]
Lokhanov's father-in-law was
After Lokhanov moved to the United States, his father-in-law -- in what The New York Times called an apparent swipe at Western frivolousness -- referred to him obliquely as having "the sad fate of frightened lovers of raspberry frappé and yellow scooters."[31][49][50] When asked about his ex-father-in-law's comment, Lokhanov said he found it both funny and unsurprising, while at the same time was not quite sure why it had been made.[18] He then added with a smile: "I never had a scooter. I'm a big coffee lover, but not frappé."[18]
See also
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Violetta Khrapina Bida, Russian Olympic fencer who left Russia to go to the United States after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
References
- ^ "Лоханов Константин Игоревич - Федерация фехтования России". Russian Fencing Federation. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "Konstantin Lokhanov". NBC Olympics.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Lokhanov Konstantin". International Fencing Federation.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Joshua Robinson (January 25, 2024). "An Olympian Couple Moved to California. Now They’re Wanted by Russia. Russian fencers Sergey and Violetta Bida relocated from Moscow and signed an antiwar declaration in hopes of competing for the U.S. Russia responded by issuing warrants for their arrest," The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Елизавета Кирпанова (January 31, 2024). "«Эти трое приносят жертвы в реальной жизни ради того, чтобы добро побеждало зло». Мы поговорили с российскими фехтовальщиками, которые уехали в США и хотят выступать за Америку на летней Олимпиаде". Novaya Gazeta Europe; Новая газета Европа.
- ^ a b c d e f Anna Bressanin (October 20, 2023). "The unlikely fate of three Russian defectors in the US; Konstantin Lokhanov, Sergey Bida and Violetta Bida are Russian Olympic champions in fencing. Since the war in Ukraine, they left their country. Now their life, dreams, and their entire career is hanging on their decision". BBC (video).
- ^ a b Gennari, Alessandro (December 30, 2022). "Konstantin Lokhanov: "Sono sempre stato contro questa guerra, ma prima non ho potuto parlarne pubblicamente"". Pianeta Scherma.
- ^ "Foil is Asia's best weapon in 2017 WJC". Asian Fencing.
- ^ a b "European Cadet Championships Fencing 2015 - Results Men". The-Sports.
- ^ "Dongju Kim and Leonie Ebert win gold medals of World Fencing Championships". UZ Daily. April 4, 2015.
- ^ "Natanzon Takes Gold At Junior World Cup In Bulgaria". St. John's University Athletics. October 3, 2016.
- ^ a b "Russia can do without fencers who jump ship to US, says Russian Olympic chief". TASS. January 12, 2024.
- ^ Yee Chun Leong (April 6, 2017). "Haziq finishes 95th in Jr Individual Sabre event at Bulgaria". Brunei Sports News.
- ^ a b "Konstantin Lokhanov (Fencing): Prize list and results". The-Sports.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Josh Peter (January 10, 2024). "Olympic fencers who fled Russia after invasion of Ukraine win support for U.S. citizenship". USA TODAY.
- ^ "Konstantin Lokhanov," Olympics.com.
- ^ "Fencing - Lokhanov Konstantin". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Longman, Jeré (July 8, 2023). "With War as a Backdrop, a Russian Fencing Drama Plays Out in the U.S.; The departure of Russian fencers who object to their country's invasion of Ukraine has created a stir at home and left their sporting futures in question". The New York Times.
- ^ Brayden White (March 10, 2023). "Scandal of the day: Russia and Belarus returned to international fencing competitions". Global Happenings.
- ^ a b c "Olympic fencing champion Sofia Pozdnyakova divorces saber fencer Konstantin Lokhanov, who left for the USA". Lost Sports. September 5, 2022.
- ^ Gennari, Alessandro (September 21, 2022). "Konstantin Lokhanov espulso dalla squadra russa dopo essere fuggito negli Usa". Pianeta Scherma.
- ^ a b "Three Russian fencers to compete at U.S Summer Nationals". Reuters. June 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Neil Shefferd (July 2, 2023). "Russian fencing épée team coach fired after athletes move to US". Inside the Games.
- ^ Wendell, Bryan (July 1, 2023). "Day 2 Recap: Jenna Shoman Finds Winning Formula for Junior Women's Saber Gold". USA Fencing.
- ^ "World Fencing Championships: Ukraine's Olga Kharlan disqualified for refusing Russian Anna Smirnov's handshake". Yahoo Sports. July 27, 2023.
- ^ Jere Longman (July 8, 2023). "With War as a Backdrop, a Russian Fencing Drama Plays Out in the U.S.; The departure of Russian fencers who object to their country's invasion of Ukraine has created a stir at home and left their sporting futures in question". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Jere Longman (July 27, 2023). "A Ukrainian fencer is disqualified after refusing to shake hands with a Russian opponent". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ukraine's Kharlan assured of Paris 2024 place by IOC after handshake furore". Inside the Games. July 28, 2023.
- ^ Dedaj, Paulina (July 28, 2023). "IOC invites Ukrainian fencer to 2024 Olympics after being disqualified from worlds over handshake controversy". Fox News.
- ^ a b c Charlie Pierce (August 21, 2023). "Olga Kharlan's Stand Had History Behind It". Defector.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jonathan Crane (February 1, 2024). "Anti-war Russian fencers target spot on US Olympic team". Deutsche Welle.
- ^ "Athlètes olympiques, en couple… et recherchés par Moscou". l'Opinion. January 26, 2024.
- ^ a b ""There was nothing romantic about the escape": Trotsky's portrait was sent to the escaped Russian swordsman". Pravda-EN. January 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Jaudat Abdullin (March 24, 2023). "FIE allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete". Realnoe Vremya.
- ^ "Сбежавшему в США шпажисту Биде отправили портрет Троцкого," January 13, 2024.
- ^ "State Duma deputy called fleeing fencers "political rags"". RIA Novosti. January 13, 2024.
- ^ "Head of the ROC Pozdnyakov: The fencers who left for the USA did not think about their action". My Boxing News. January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Russia can do without fencers who jump ship to US, says Russian Olympic chief". TASS. January 12, 2024.
- ^ Oleksandr Chekanov (January 17, 2024). ""It's a shame to run away, they're just fools": Russian Olympic champion insults athletes who called Putin a liar". Obozrevatel.
- ^ "A cowardly "friend" is scarier than an enemy — it's time to remember what it means to be a Russian athlete". Pravda EN. January 12, 2024.
- ^ Karen Billing (October 18, 2017). "Local's La Jolla Fencing leads to championships, college success". Del Mar Times.
- ^ "Our Coaches; Konstantin Lokhanov: Saber Coach". La Jolla Fencing Academy.
- ^ "Current Member List". USA Fencing.
- ^ "Танец в тумане: чемпионка мира из Новосибирска сыграла свадьбу в Москве — смотрим красивые снимки с церемонии". НГС. September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Lokhanova Sofia". The International Fencing Federation. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c Patrick Burke (May 31, 2022). "ROC leader Pozdnyakov deposed as President of European Fencing Confederation". Inside the Games.
- ^ "A famous Russian woman shocked everyone, this is what she did to her husband because of the USA". Darik News. September 5, 2022.
- ^ Irina Mishina (November 5, 2022). "How Russian sport is experiencing sanctions". Novye Izvestia.
- ^ "Opération de la Russie en Ukraine, 5 septembre. Diffusion en ligne. Jour 194". Histoire et société. September 6, 2022.
- ^ Charlie Pierce (August 21, 2023). "Olga Kharlan's Stand Had History Behind It". Defector.
Pierce commented: "I am not sure why loving raspberry frappes is supposed to be scary, nor do I think yellow scooters are any more dangerous than scooters of any other color, but maybe the translation was bad. Or maybe Papa Pozdnyakov took one too many bell-guards to his noggin during his career.