Iryna Merleni

Iryna Oleksiyivna Merleni (Ukrainian: Ірина Олексіївна Мерлені), née Melnyk (Мельник), married name Mykulchyn (Микульчин) (born 8 February 1982) is a Ukrainian wrestler, who competed in the – 48 kg weight class at the 2004 Summer Olympics and claimed the gold medal. She is first female olympic champion in women`s wrestling.^[1] In the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won a bronze medal.^[2] She is a three-time world champion, and has also won the European Championships once.

Iryna Merleni

Merleni in 2014
Personal information
Native name	Ірина Олексіївна Мельник / Мерлені / Микульчин
Full name	Iryna Oleksiyivna Melnyk / Merleni / Mykulchyn
Born	(1982-02-08) 8 February 1982 (age 43) Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Medal record Women's freestyle wrestling Representing  Ukraine Olympic Games 2004 Athens 48 kg 2008 Beijing 48 kg World Championships 2000 Sofia 46 kg 2001 Sofia 46 kg 2003 New York 48 kg 2005 Budapest 48 kg 2007 Baku 48 kg European Championships 2004 Haparanda 48 kg 2005 Varna 51 kg 2001 Budapest 46 kg Summer Universiade 2005 İzmir 51 kg

Merleni was born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. In February 2006, she married Andriy Mykulchyn, with whom she has two sons – Artur and Adam. She was inducted into the Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2023.^[3]

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine she fled to Haparanda, Sweden, where she now works at the local Systembolaget. In her spare time she acts as a wrestling coach for the club Haparanda SKT.

Championships and accomplishments

• Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2023^[4]