Russian Short Course Championships: Two swimmers earn spots on national team on Day 1

Day 1 of the Russian Short Course Swimming Championships saw five finals being contested at the Aquatics Palace in Kazan.

In order to make it to the European Championships national team, swimmers need to place first or second and meet the qualifying time standards (only youth qualifying time standards were cancelled), which means that a medal earned at the national championships does not guarantee a berth in the international tournament. On the first competition day, the athletes’ fates were decided in three events (except for a relay) and only two swimmers – Krasnykh and Andrusenko – earned spots on the national swimming squad.

Alexander Krasnykh of the Republic of Tatarstan and Vyacheslav Andrusenko of St. Petersburg came first and second in the men’s 200m event. The latter admitted that he arrived three weeks prior to the tournament in Kazan and have been training really hard, which is probably the reason of his near-perfect performance. As for Alexander, following in Yana Martynova’s footsteps, he just carried on a tradition of opening the national championships in Kazan with a victory of a Tatarstan athlete. In his short interview with a reporter of the Executive Directorate for Sports Projects, Krasnykh highly praised the swimming pools of the Aquatics Palace and explained how he managed to win the race.  

– The first 50 metres were really hard for you?

– So were the second 50 metres! Each swimmer has his or her own pace. I’ve chosen this tactics, and I always choose it, to be honest. If I go faster, I will run out of strength.

– What other events do you plan to compete in?

– I want to try 400m and 100m freestyle for practice.

– Are these competitions and the European championships a preparation for the Olympics for you?

– Yes, they are. It’s mostly my preparation for the Olympic Games.

– Do you keep track of any international swimmers’ performance?

– No, absolutely not.  Here I am and nothing else matters. Why should I worry about other people’s results? I do my best to improve mine.  

Master of Sport International Class Svetlana Chimrova failed to qualify for the European championships but she will return to Moscow with gold medal.

– To be honest, I have not been gearing up for the 200m event, but I’m happy that I’ve improved my result. My coach has put me in the right mood before the heat. He told me what I should focus on. I focused on it and I did well.

– Do you plan to switch from short course to long course?

– My coach says it’s time. To be honest, I have no desire for that. But we’ll see what will come out of it. Anyways, 100 metres is still my favourite event.

– Did you have any doubts about winning the race?

– No, I didn’t. There was neither Yana Martynova, nor Veronika Popova, that’s why I was calm and steady before the start; I was 100% sure that I will finish first.  

Results

Men's 200m freestyle

1. Alexander Krasnykh (Republic of Tatarstan) - 1:42.30

2. Vyacheslav Andrusenko (St. Petersburg) - 1:43.37

3. Mikhail Polischuk (Moscow) - 1:43.60

November 8. Kazan. Aquatics Palace

Women's 200m butterfly

1. Svetlana Chimrova (Moscow) - 2:08.24

2. Anastasia Guzhenkova (Samara Oblast) - 2:10.12

3. Maria Arseneva (Samara Oblast) - 2:10.75

November 8. Kazan. Aquatics Palace

Women’s 400m individual medley

1. Kristina Vershinina (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra) - 4:41.68

2. Viktoria Malyutina (Penza Oblast) - 4:41.88

3. Diana Sheludchenko (Rostov Oblast) - 4:44.58

November 8. Kazan. Aquatics Palace

Men's 4x100m freestyle

1. St. Petersburg - 3:10.31

2. Volgograd Oblast - 3:12.09

3. Moscow - 3:12.51

November 8. Kazan. Aquatics Palace

Women's 4x200m freestyle

1. Sverdlovsk Oblast - 7:49.92

2. St. Petersburg - 7:51.33

3. Moscow - 7:56.50

November 8. Kazan. Aquatics Palace

Preliminary results of the first competition day are available here (in Russian).  

Press Office of Executive Directorate for Sports Projects