At the age of 50, the distinguished Ukrainian athlete Gennady Gorbenko has passed away.

This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Athletics Federation.

The reasons for his passing remain undisclosed.

Gorbenko's career was filled with triumphs. He made history by becoming the first junior world champion in athletics from independent Ukraine.

The 1994 Junior World Championships took place in Lisbon, where Gennady excelled in the 400 meters hurdles, achieving an impressive time of 50.56 seconds. He finished ahead of Hungarian athlete Miklós Róth by 0.29 seconds.

In this discipline, Gorbenko was a multiple champion of Ukraine. He also participated in the 2000 Olympic Games, where he recorded a personal best of 48.40 seconds in the semifinals, finishing eighth in the final.

The athlete represented Ukraine at the 2003 Universiade, where he secured a gold medal.