The Ukrainian national team has won its first medal at the 2026 European Boxing Championships, which are being held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Iryna Lutsak became the bronze medallist of the continental championship in the up to 80 kg weight category. Her performance in the semifinal determined the first medal result for the Ukrainian team at the tournament, which will run until September 26.
The Road to Bronze: Semifinal Against Ireland
In the semifinal bout, Iryna Lutsak faced Ireland's Lisa O'Rourke. The fight ended by unanimous decision in favor of the Irish boxer with a score of 0:5 — all five judges awarded the round to her opponent. Thus, Lutsak stopped one step short of the final, but secured a bronze medal and thereby brought Ukraine its first medal at the 2026 European Championships.
Who Is Iryna Lutsak
Iryna Lutsak represents Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and is a graduate of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Children and Youth Sports School; the boxer hails from Pechenizhyn. Her coach is Honored Coach of Ukraine Vasyl Kondrat. In 2024, Lutsak became the European champion among athletes under 23 in the up to 81 kg weight category, and the Ukrainian team at the time took first place overall at the continental championship. In June 2026, she became the Ukrainian champion among the elite in the up to 80 kg category, winning the final bout of the national championship.
Other Ukrainians in Sofia
The Ukrainian team still has contenders for gold at the 2026 European Championships. Anna Okhota advanced to the final of the women's up to 48 kg weight category, where, according to the source's data, she will face a Russian boxer. Elvin Aliev has also reached the final and will compete for gold in the up to 65 kg category. In addition, two representatives of the men's team — Pavlo Illiusha and Ayder Abduraimov — have reached the semifinals of their weight categories and have already guaranteed themselves at least bronze medals. In total, 20 boxers represent Ukraine at the tournament — ten men and ten women.
Contradictory Data
The provided sources differ in their emphasis on Ukraine's "first medal." The main article (Sport RBC.UA) states that it was Iryna Lutsak who brought the country its first medal — bronze. At the same time, another source (Ukrainews) reports that Maguchikh "became the European champion for the third time and brought Ukraine the first 'gold medal' of Euro-2026." These formulations are formally compatible (Lutsak's bronze being the first medal overall, Maguchikh's gold being the first gold), however the chronology and priority of the claims in the sources differ, which requires careful presentation. It is also worth noting separately that the base text mentions Anna Okhota's final "against a Russian boxer" — this fact looks unusual for the current format of the continental championship and was not additionally confirmed by a second source, so it is presented with the caveat "according to the source's data."
Tournament Context
The 2026 European Boxing Championships are being held in Sofia from September 15 to 26. As of the time of publication (September 24), the tournament is not yet over: the final bouts are ahead, in which Ukrainian boxers will compete for gold medals. Thus, the medal foundation laid by Lutsak and other semifinalists can be strengthened in the final days of the championship.
