Oleg Verniaiev

2.1. Early career (2011-2012)

Verniaiev made his international debut at the 2011 Summer Universiade, where he competed in the men's vault final, finishing seventh with a score of 15.262. He was also part of the Ukrainian team that secured fifth place in the men's team final at the event. Later that year, at the 2011 World Championships, he contributed to the Ukrainian team's fifth-place finish in the team all-around event. His individual scores included 14.461 on floor exercise, 13.866 on pommel horse, 14.833 on vault, and 13.800 on parallel bars.

In 2012, Verniaiev placed sixth in the American Cup with a total score of 88.132. At the 2012 European Championships, he was part of the Ukrainian team that finished fifth in the team all-around final. Individually, he advanced to the parallel bars final, where he earned a silver medal with a score of 15.66, trailing Germany's Marcel Nguyen by just 0.1 points. He continued his strong performance domestically, winning the 2012 Ukrainian Championships all-around final with 90.300 points, ahead of Oleg Stepko.

Verniaiev participated in the 2012 London Olympic Games, competing in the men's team event alongside Nikolai Kuksenkov, Vitalii Nakonechnyi, Oleg Stepko, and Igor Radivilov. The Ukrainian team initially placed third, but after a successful appeal by Japan regarding a pommel horse score, Japan moved to second place, and Ukraine dropped to fourth, missing out on a medal by less than 0.2 points, with a total score of 271.526. In the individual all-around final, Verniaiev finished eleventh with a score of 88.931.

2.2. Peak career (2013-2016)

In 2013, Verniaiev won the Ukrainian National Championships. He secured a silver medal in the individual all-around finals at the 2013 American Cup and a bronze medal in the individual all-around at the 2013 European Championships in Moscow, Russia. At the 2013 Summer Universiade, Verniaiev led the Ukrainian team to a second-place finish in the team final. He also earned a bronze medal in the all-around final, sharing the podium with Russian gymnast David Belyavskiy, and another bronze in the parallel bars final.

At the 2014 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, Verniaiev's contributions (including 15.100 on floor, 14.400 on pommel horse, 14.900 on rings, 14.783 on vault, 15.591 on parallel bars, and 14.600 on horizontal bar) helped Ukraine secure the team bronze medal with a score of 262.087 points, behind Great Britain. In event finals, he clinched the gold medal on parallel bars with a score of 15.966 and a bronze medal on vault with 14.916.

Verniaiev achieved a significant milestone at the 2014 World Championships in Nanning, China, winning the gold medal on the parallel bars. During the medal ceremony, the State Anthem of Uzbekistan was mistakenly played instead of the Ukrainian anthem. Verniaiev publicly expressed his displeasure, stating that his reaction was evident on his face but chose not to have the anthem replaced for the TV broadcast, believing it would be "incorrect."

In 2015, Verniaiev won the American Cup in Arlington, Texas, with a score of 90.597, outscoring Japan's Ryōhei Katō. This victory also made him the FIG World Cup series champion. At the 2015 European Championships, Verniaiev won the individual all-around title with 89.582 points, defeating 2013 champion David Belyavskiy. He also secured the gold medal in the parallel bars final with a score of 15.866. At the 2015 European Games, Verniaiev earned a team silver medal with Ukraine, finishing behind Russia. He qualified for multiple individual finals, winning gold in the all-around with 90.332 points and on vault with 15.266 points. He also placed sixth on floor exercise (14.233), fifth on pommel horse (13.833), parallel bars (14.633), and high bar (14.900).

At the 2016 European Championships, Verniaiev won a gold medal on vault and a silver medal on parallel bars. In August 2016, at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, he earned the silver medal in the men's all-around competition with a score of 92.266, narrowly missing the gold by 0.099 points to Kōhei Uchimura's 92.365. This marked Ukraine's first Olympic all-around medal since Alexander Beresch won bronze in 2000. Verniaiev also publicly apologized for the Ukrainian squad's team final strategy, where injuries led them to not field gymnasts on all events, effectively removing the team from medal contention. He went on to win the gold medal on the parallel bars with a score of 16.041, marking Ukraine's first gymnastics gold at the Games since 2004. He additionally finished fifth on vault and eighth on both pommel horse and horizontal bar.

2.3. Post-Olympic career (2017-2020)

In 2017, at the 2017 European Championships, Verniaiev continued his success, winning gold medals in both the individual all-around and on the parallel bars, and adding a bronze medal on vault. He also had a strong showing at the 2017 Summer Universiade, winning gold in the individual all-around. He also secured silver medals with the team, on vault, and on pommel horse, along with a bronze medal on rings. Later that year, at the 2017 World Championships, Verniaiev earned a silver medal on parallel bars, finishing behind Zou Jingyuan.

Verniaiev once again won a silver medal on parallel bars, behind Zou, at the 2018 World Championships. In 2019, he competed at the European Championships, where he finished seventh on pommel horse and eighth on parallel bars. Subsequently, at the 2019 European Games, he won a gold medal on parallel bars, and silver medals in both the all-around and on pommel horse, with both silvers behind David Belyavskiy. At the 2019 World Championships, Verniaiev won a bronze medal in the all-around, placing behind Nikita Nagornyy and Artur Dalaloyan.

Verniaiev started 2020 by competing at the 2020 American Cup, where he secured a silver medal behind Sam Mikulak. However, the majority of the remaining competitions in 2020 were either canceled or postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

5.1. Defense of Kohei Uchimura regarding judging

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, following the men's individual all-around final, a journalist posed a provocative question to Kōhei Uchimura, suggesting that he might be favored by the judges. Oleg Verniaiev, who had just narrowly lost the gold medal to Uchimura, intervened during the press conference to defend his competitor. He stated, "Uchimura has scored high marks throughout his career. I think this question is useless. Everyone looks up to him." This act of sportsmanship was widely praised, particularly in Japan. The Ukrainian Embassy in Tokyo received numerous calls and emails commending Verniaiev. Additionally, offers of donations were made to help purchase new gymnastics equipment for Verniaiev, who was known to train in less than ideal conditions in Ukraine.

5.2. Military service during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

In 2022, following the full-scale 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports emerged that Oleg Verniaiev had enlisted in the Ukrainian military to defend his homeland. He reportedly posted a photo of himself in military uniform on social media, signaling his direct involvement in the national crisis.

8.1. 2012 London Olympics

8.2. 2016 Rio Olympics