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).
© Валерий ДоронинAwarding the participants of the CMAS Finswimming World Championship (Surface Finswimming, 4*100 meter relay)
"Performing after a big break (due to COVID-19 in the Tomsk region the
pools were closed for almost half a year, and international competitions were
not held at all – Ed.) was hard, but I think we performed very decently. We did
very well!", – Skurlatova told the agency after her performance in the
finals.
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.
© Валерий Доронин"The Russian women's relay team is consistently strong, and we are consistently winning gold medals in the relay. This time, too, we believed in winning. I wanted a personal gold medal, but it didn't work out, so we'll make conclusions and correct our mistakes," Parshina said.
"I've been swimming since I was five years old, but it was classic
swimming. Since 2015 I've been in underwater sport. I don't remember the first
competitions – I was only six or seven years old then. My first All-Russian
(competitions) were in 2015... It was Zolotaya Lasta (Golden Flipper) in
Novosibirsk, then there were world cups and world championships, then there
were a lot of competitions," Parshina said.
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.
© Валерий ДоронинWorld champions of the Russian Underwater Federation. In the middle - Aleksandra Skurlatova and Alena Parshina
... 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.
© Валерий Доронин
"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.
© Валерий ДоронинElena Argunova (Yaroslavl)
Argunova noted that the licenses to participate in the World Games 2022 are
named, and the right to participate in them is given to the finalists in
certain distances. Thus, Skurlatova will swim the 100-meter distance and two
relays at the World Games, and Parshina received licenses for the 50-meter
diving and relay.
"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.