Oleh Volodymyrovych Handei (born March 5, 1999, in Kyiv, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian short track speed skater. He competed in the 500 metres event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he did not advance from the heat.
Sporting career Handei took up the sport in 2009 in his home city, Kyiv. Before that, he tried figure skating.
He started his international sporting career in late 2016 when he skated at the World Cup. He debuted during that season at the World Junior Championships. He represented Ukraine in various competitions over the following seasons.
Handei qualified for his first Winter Games in Beijing based on his performances during the 2021–22 World Cup.
Handei qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in the 500-meter and 1,500-meter events. He planned to wear a helmet with the phrase "Where there is heroism, there is no final defeat" by Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko, but was forbidden by the International Skating Union as a political slogan. He disputed the order, asserting it was a motivational quote rather than being related to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Results Winter Olympics Year Host 500 m 1000 m 1500 m Relay Mixed relay 2022 Beijing, China 26 — — — — 2026 Milano Cortina 15 — 16 — —
World Championships Year Host 500 m 1000 m 1500 m Allround Relay Mixed relay 2018 Montreal, Canada 25 26 32 26 — rowspan=4 2019 Sofia, Bulgaria 39 26 38 36 — 2021 Dordrecht, Netherlands PEN PEN 29 44 — 2022 Montréal, Canada 10 29 PEN 27 — 2023 Seoul, South Korea 24 28 31 rowspan=4 — – 2024 Rotterdam, Netherlands 54 22 15 — – 2025 Beijing, China 52 30 56 — 11 2026 Montréal, Canada 24 38 34 — –
European Championships Year Host 500 m 1000 m 1500 m Allround Relay Mixed relay 2018 Dresden, Germany 29 31 38 30 9 rowspan=4 2019 Dordrecht, Netherlands 21 33 PEN 35 10 2020 Debrecen, Hungary PEN 17 19 24 7 2021 Gdańsk, Poland PEN 27 PEN 44 — 2023 Gdańsk, Poland 12 17 23 rowspan=4 8 10 2024 Gdańsk, Poland 8 23 38 10 8 2025 Dresden, Germany PEN 27 30 — 7 2026 Tilburg, Netherlands 14 28 25 10 7
Personal life His two-year-older brother, Volodymyr, is also a short track speed skater who represented Ukraine at both World and European championships. Oleh and Volodymyr took up short track speed skating almost together in 2009.
Handei is a student at the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine and studies physical culture.
See also Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukrainian skeleton racer and 2026 Olympian, who was disqualified for wearing a helmet with images of athletes killed in the war Kateryna Kotsar, Ukrainian freestyle skier and 2026 Olympian, who had to change her helmet with a pro-Ukrainian phrase
References
External links
Oleh Handei at ShorttrackOnLine.info