TOMSK, Jul 10 – RIA Tomsk. Aleksandra Skurlatova and Alena Parshina from Tomsk won five medals, two of them gold, at the CMAS Finswimming World Championship in Tomsk. This gives them the right to represent Russia at the World Games 2022 in Birmingham, USA. How the girls managed to do it – in the article of RIA Tomsk.
Earlier it was reported that the CMAS Finswimming World Championship was held in Tomsk from July 3 to 8. About 330 athletes from 31 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America participated in the championship. The Russian team (44 athletes) included seven Tomsk residents. It was also reported that our RUF team of the Russian Underwater Federation became the winner in the medal standings of the Finswimming World Championship.
With gold, silver and records.…
Alena and Aleksandra are 22 and 24 years old, nevertheless they are already Honored Masters of Sport, and recently world champions. Aleksandra Skurlatova and Alena Parshina won gold medals in the last minutes of the World Championships, performing in the 4 х 100 meters surface relay (surface finswimming – SF).
In addition to gold, Aleksandra Skurlatova won silver in the 4*50m SF (mixed), and Alena Parshina won two silver medals – in 50 meters apnea and 100 meters immersion.
And that's not all: the Russian team, in which Skurlatova competed, set a European record in the mixed 4*50m relay, and Parshina repeated the European record in the 100 meters immersion.
Answering the question about at what age it is better to start swimming, she said that it should be done as early as possible.
"If a child does pure swimming, he can then switch to diving, for example, and show good results. But if he does athletics and then wants to come to swimming to show good results, it will be difficult and maybe even impossible for him," Parshina noted.
... but without anthem and flag of the Russian Federation
For the first time, the girls said, the music was by Tchaikovsky, not the Russian national anthem, and their uniforms were free of any state symbols.
"Of course, we would like to play the Russian anthem now, but that's the situation, what can we do, we still defend our country with dignity," Skurlatova said.Parshina added that she hoped that the ban will end soon, and at the next competitions they will perform with their flag and anthem.
The next large competitions will take place soon; because the worthy performance in the World Cup gained the right to represent Russia in the XI World Games 2022 in Birmingham (Alabama, USA) from July 7 to 17. According to Elena Argunova, one of the coaches of the Russian team, 36-time champion of Russia, 38-time holder of the Russian Cup, the selection for these competitions is very difficult.
"These competitions are held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee and are similar to the Olympics for non-Olympic sports that are not included in the program of the Olympic Games, but recognized by the International Olympic Committee. One of these sports – is underwater," she told RIA Tomsk.
"We competed as a RUF team. No matter what, the athletes performed great. We have enough gold medals, in addition, our athletes set two world records and two European records," she added.
Earlier it was reported that because of the sanctions the Russian national team will compete at the CMAS Sport Diving World Championship in Tomsk in neutral colors, the design of which was developed specially for the championship, as well as without the national flag and anthem. If the Russians win, it will not be the anthem, but the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky.