Alina Marushchak, the undisputed world champion from Ukraine, has changed her citizenship

Ukrainian weightlifter Alina Marushchak will represent Bahrain at the 2026 World Championships. In 2021, she became world champion in Uzbekistan.

 

In 2021–2022, Marushchak was considered a contender for top finishes at continental and world championships and was also viewed as a potential participant in the 2024 Olympics. However, in 2023, she was suspended from competition for using hydrochlorothiazide. As a result, the Ukrainian weightlifter disappeared from international competitions for a long time and had long since fallen off the radar.

But in 2026, Marushchak shocked everyone with her return—and it didn’t happen as part of the Ukrainian national team. In May, she competed at the Asian Weightlifting Championships, representing… Bahrain. This national team has a unique history: thanks to substantial revenue from the oil industry, the country has the financial means to naturalize elite athletes. In weightlifting, Bahrain had already naturalized Gora Minasyan, who won an Olympic medal for the country, and now Marushchak has joined the team as well. However, among all of Bahrain’s Olympic medalists, including bronze medalist Minasyan, there is not a single athlete born in Bahrain.

Therefore, Marushchak, who will now compete in the Olympic 86-kg weight class, is seriously aiming to compete at the Olympics representing Bahrain. Her first major competition since her return was quite impressive: at the Asian Championships, Marushchak took second place in the total with a lift of 265 kg. At the World Championships, the former Ukrainian has a preliminary entry of 270 kg, which currently places her fourth on the list of registered participants.

Source: Glavkom

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