Taras Shelestyuk

Sport: Boxing

Nation: Ukraine

DOB: November 30, 1985

Career Highlights: The strong, powerful Shelestyuk is a gold-medal contender after qualifying for the Games with an astonishing run at the 2011 world championships. He defeated the silver and bronze medalists from Beijing just to reach the quarterfinals, where he claimed an Olympic bid by beating 2009 world silver medalist Andrey Zamkovoy on a tiebreaker. Shelestyuk used his potent hooks and uppercuts to overpower Indian teen sensation Vikas Krishan in the semifinals, then cruised to gold in the final with a 16-10 victory over 2005 and '07 world champ Serik Sapiyev. It was a bit of redemption for Shelestyuk, who first participated in the worlds in 2009 but suffered a round-of-16 loss to Sapiyev. Shelestyuk also earned bronze at the European Elite Men's Championships in 2010. He's been training hard with his brother to get ready for the Games, including doing parkur workouts, which shows his versatility and strength. Despite his limited international experience for a 26-year-old amateur boxer, Shelestyuk is a key figure on a Ukranian team which is considered among the most dangerous headed to London.

Olympic History: None