Oleh Tverdokhlib was a Ukrainian

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 athlete. He was still an improving competitor at 400 metre hurdles when he was killed by electric shock

Electric shock

Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....

 while fixing wiring at his parental home in September 1995.

At global level in athletics he had finished both sixth in the 1992 Summer Olympics

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 and 1993 World Championships in Athletics

1993 World Championships in Athletics

The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....

 finals at 400m hurdles. Previously he had taken the bronze medal at the 1991 Summer Universiade

1991 Summer Universiade

The 1991 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVI Summer Universiade, took place in Sheffield, England. In the host country it was generally referred to as the World Student Games....

.

His biggest triumph was undoubtedly his victory at the 1994 European Championships in Athletics

1994 European Championships in Athletics

The 16th European Athletics Championships were held from 7 August to 14 August 1994 in the Olympic Stadium of Helsinki, Finland.-Track:1986 |1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |-Field:1986 |1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |-Track:1986 |1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |-Field:...

 held in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. On August 10, 1994 he ran a personal best and Ukrainian record of 48.06 seconds to claim gold and win the European title. This enabled him to represent Team Europe at the 1994 IAAF World Cup

1994 IAAF World Cup

The 7th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 9–11, 1994, at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London, England.-Men:...

 in this discipline. He again excelled at this meeting with a superb second place behind Samuel Matete

Samuel Matete

Samuel Matete is a retired male track and field athlete from Zambia, who competed mainly in 400 meter hurdles. Noted for his exceptionally fast finish, he was one of the world's leading hurdlers in the early 1990s, and became the first Zambian track and field world champion in 1991...

 of Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

and Team Africa.