Lidiia Hunko

Lidiia Hunko (Гунько Лідія Олександрівна; born August 10, 1993, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian bobsledder. She is the first Ukrainian female bobsledder who received a quota place for the Winter Olympics.

Career


Hunko started her sporting career as a strongwomen. She became a World Champion in deadlift in 2016. The next year, she won "Arnold Classic" in her category.

Hunko took up bobsleigh in 2018, and one year later she started to compete internationally. Her first international start took place on November 20, 2019, in Lillehammer, Norway.

On December 20, 2020, she won together with Iryna Lishchynska a bronze medal at the European Cup stage in Sigulda which became the first-ever medal in the history of Ukrainian bobsleigh. They repeated their success on November 27, 2021, when they again won a bronze medal at the European Cup stage in Altenberg.

On January 14, 2022, Hunko was third in a World Monobob Series event in Winterberg. This result guaranteed her an Olympic spot. She became therefore the first Ukrainian female bobsledder to represent Ukraine at the Winter Games. She also ranked second together with Lishchynska in final two-women European Cup rating.

Hunko participated in the monobob event at the Winter Games in Beijing. After the competition, she failed a doping test and was suspended on 15 February.