The Most Famous
HANDBALL PLAYERS from Ukraine
This page contains a list of the greatest Ukrainian Handball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 420 Handball Players, 2 of which were born in Ukraine. This makes Ukraine the birth place of the 32nd most number of Handball Players behind North Macedonia, and Réunion.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Ukrainian Handball Players of all time. This list of famous Ukrainian Handball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Zinaida Turchyna (b. 1946)
With an HPI of 56.79, Zinaida Turchyna is the most famous Ukrainian Handball Player. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
Zinaida Mykhaylivna Turchyna (Ukrainian: Зінаїда Михайлiвна Турчина, née Stolitenko on 17 May 1946) is a retired Ukrainian handball player. Coached by her husband Ihor Turchyn she competed for the Soviet Union in all major international tournaments in 1973–1988, except for the boycotted 1984 Summer Olympics, and won three Olympic and five world championship medals. In 2000, a panel from the International Handball Federation and sports journalists named her the best female handball player of the 20th century.
2. Andrei Xepkin (b. 1965)
With an HPI of 47.45, Andrei Xepkin is the 2nd most famous Ukrainian Handball Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Andrei Xepkin Xepkina (Ukrainian: Андрій Щепкін, born 1 May 1965) is a Spanish and former Ukrainian handball player who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics for Spain. He became Spanish citizen in 1998. In 2000 he won the bronze medal with the Spanish team. He played all eight matches and scored 21 goals. He was included in the European Handball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023.
3. Oleg Velyky (1977 - 2010)
With an HPI of 41.70, Oleg Velyky is the 3rd most famous Ukrainian Handball Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Oleg Velyky (Ukrainian: Олег Великий, Oleh Welykyj; 14 October 1977 – 23 January 2010) was a Ukrainian and German handball player. He was a World champion 2007 with the German national team; he was on the team roster, but did not play because of an injury. Velyky was born in Brovary, Ukraine. He became a German citizen in April 2004. He participated on the German team which finished 4th at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship.
4. Irina Poltoratskaya (b. 1979)
With an HPI of 41.30, Irina Poltoratskaya is the 4th most famous Ukrainian Handball Player. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Irina Igorevna Poltoratskaya (Russian: Ирина Игоревна Полторацкая, born 12 March 1979 in Antratsyt, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian team handball player and handball coach, who manages Rostov-Don in the Russian League. In her playing days she played on the Russian women's national handball team. She won World Championship gold medals with the Russian team in the 2001, 2005 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and the 2007 World Championship in France. She was included in the European Handball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023.
5. Tetyana Shynkarenko (b. 1978)
With an HPI of 39.37, Tetyana Shynkarenko is the 5th most famous Ukrainian Handball Player. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Tetyana Shynkarenko (Ukrainian: Тетяна Шинкаренко; born 26 October 1978) is a Ukrainian team handball player. She received a bronze medal with the Ukrainian national team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
6. Anastasiia Pidpalova (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 39.33, Anastasiia Pidpalova is the 6th most famous Ukrainian Handball Player. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Anastasiia Pidpalova (born Anastasiia Borodina, 5 January 1982) is a Ukrainian handballer playing for Le Havre and the Ukrainian national team.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Ukrainian handball players born between 1946 and 1982. Of these 6, 5 (83.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Ukrainian handball players include Zinaida Turchyna, Andrei Xepkin, and Irina Poltoratskaya. The most famous deceased Ukrainian handball players include Oleg Velyky. As of April 2024, 4 new Ukrainian handball players have been added to Pantheon including Andrei Xepkin, Oleg Velyky, and Tetyana Shynkarenko.
Living Ukrainian Handball Players
Go to all Rankings
Zinaida Turchyna
1946 - Present
HPI: 56.79
Andrei Xepkin
1965 - Present
HPI: 47.45
Irina Poltoratskaya
1979 - Present
HPI: 41.30
Tetyana Shynkarenko
1978 - Present
HPI: 39.37
Anastasiia Pidpalova
1982 - Present
HPI: 39.33
Deceased Ukrainian Handball Players
Go to all RankingsNewly Added Ukrainian Handball Players (2025)
Go to all RankingsAndrei Xepkin
1965 - Present
HPI: 47.45
Oleg Velyky
1977 - 2010
HPI: 41.70
Tetyana Shynkarenko
1978 - Present
HPI: 39.37
Anastasiia Pidpalova
1982 - Present
HPI: 39.33
