[6][7] She is a four-time individual women’s world sabre champion, six-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated Ukrainian Olympian in history.

Competing at the 2023 World Fencing Championships in Milan, on 27 July 2023, a key ranking event for Olympic qualifying, Kharlan defeated Russian Anna Smirnova 15–7.

Kharlan said her choice of salute was meant as a sign of respect for her opponent, while still acknowledging the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After a long delay, during which Smirnova protested, sat on the strip for 45 minutes and refused to move, Kharlan was ultimately black-carded and eliminated from the championship by FIE officials.

[12] In addition - after consultation with the IOC - the FIE reluctantly reversed its decision barring her from the competition, opening up the opportunity for her to compete in the team world championships.

[17] She is married to Italian Olympic sabre fencer Luigi Samele, and they live in Bologna, Italy.

[22] She placed second in the 2006 European Seniors Fencing Championship in İzmir, Turkey, after a close 14–15 defeat against Russia's Sofiya Velikaya.

[25] At the 2009 World Fencing Championships in Antalya, she once again made her way to the final, only to be stopped by American two-time Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis.

[1] In the 2009–10 season Kharlan won her fourth Junior World Championship in a row, equaling the record established by French épée fencer Jacques Brodin in the 1960s.

She made her way to the final after defeating reigning South Korean Olympic champion Kim Ji-yeon in a tight 15–14 bout.

After a very tight match Kharlan managed a comeback in the last leg and received her second gold medal in the competition.

[33] She finished the season No.1 in world rankings for the first time in her career, and she was inducted into the hall of fame of the International Fencing Federation (Fédération Internationale d'Escrime; FIE).

Kharlan won a team silver medal in the 2018 European Fencing Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

[1] At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Kharlan lost to China's Yang Hengyu in the first round.

On 27 July 2023, Kharlan competed in the 2023 World Fencing Championships in Milan, Italy, a key ranking event for Olympic qualifying.

Kharlan said her choice of salute was meant as a sign of respect for her opponent, while still acknowledging the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

"[49] Kharlan then walked away, while Smirnova refused to leave the piste and made a 45-minute long sit-down protest.

[41] On the other hand, he noted, the tapping of weapon blades -- in lieu of a handshake -- was the accepted acknowledgment of an opponent during the pandemic, and is still considered suitable by many fencers.

She could have just touched blades; the bout was over.”[41] Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina, a Wimbledon 2023 semi-finalist who has refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents during the ongoing invasion, voiced support for Kharlan as well.

[49] She called on the FIE to follow the Women's Tennis Association's lead; it has supported Svitolina's decision to not shake hands with Russians or Belarusians after matches.

[63] Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba wrote on social media: "I urge [FIE] to restore Kharlan’s rights and allow her to compete.

"[64] The Ukrainian Fencing Federation (NFFU) president said: "We fully support Olha Kharlan in this situation... We will appeal this decision because the referee who judged this match did not give directly a black card or disqualify her.

"[68] Stanislav Pozdnyakov, head of the Russian Olympic Committee, railed against what he called the "duplicity" of the IOC and accused it of picking a side in a political conflict.

[67] American author Charlie Pierce wrote: "Both Olga Kharlan and Konstantin Lokhanov were warmly applauded for their stands in defense of Ukraine, and there certainly will be more of this as the 2024 Olympics approach.

[10] Kharlan became the most awarded Olympian from Ukraine, surpassing swimmer Yana Klochkova, when she and her teammates made the final of the women's team sabre.

[10] The team defeated South Korea, mostly because of Kharlan's 22 touches scored, and won Ukraine's first gold medal of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

[73] The sabre that she used in the Olympics was subsequently auctioned off at a value of Hr 10 million ($242,000) to raise funds for the Ukrainian war effort and was bought by FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv.

[74] Kharlan said in August 2023 that Russian athletes who explicitly state their opposition to Russia's war against Ukraine have every reason to be allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

I believe that they can participate because they said that, and they are also helping Ukraine.”[75] Kharlan was inducted in the hall of fame of the International Fencing Federation (Fédération Internationale d'Escrime; FIE).

[82][83] In August 2023, Kharlan put the Barbie doll of her, the only copy in the world, up for auction on eBay, to raise money for a rehabilitation clinic for Ukrainian military personnel who suffered in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.