Vladykina shies away from committing to Rio appearance

Russia’s four-time Paralympic champion Olesya Vladykina is competing at the 2014 IPC Swimming Euros in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, as a triple reigning European champion but up-and-coming athletes, and age, have forced her to consider her future. 02 Aug 2014

A picture of a woman in the pool holding the swimming cap with her hand

Olesya Vladykina celebrates after she won a silver medal in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley - SM8 on the Paralympic Games in London

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By IPC

“I think everyone can compete with me on a higher level. I respect everybody and I expect good results from everybody. It’s a very competitive class. We are all very close in times and everybody has the potential to be the best.”

Russian Paralympic champion swimmer Olesya Vladykina has spoken of the increasing competitiveness of the women’s S8 classification ahead of the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Vladykina, now 25 and entering her third successive Euros from 4-10 August, feels that her age combined with new blood coming through could impact on her chances of retaining her three European titles.

“It’s another competition, new competitors and new goals. Now I am older and I hope that I can do everything that I know I can do,” she said. “I hope to show my best times. That’s the main thing for me here.

“There are girls from Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland who are all coming through.”

The S8 classification features a number of promising stars. Great Britain’s Stephanie Slater, 23, beat Vladykina into bronze at the 2013 Worlds in Montreal, Canada, in the 200m individual medley. Her personal best is now faster than European gold medallist Vladykina in that event and the 50m freestyle.

However the Russian is still the fastest in 2014 in the 100m breaststroke SB8, the event which she won gold in at Montreal 2013.

Despite this, her ambition to be the best has led her to consider hanging up her swimsuit.

“With every year it is more difficult for me. Every year I want to stop swimming after every competition and this year I don’t know what can happen,” Vladykina said.

“I think everyone can compete with me on a higher level. I respect everybody and I expect good results from everybody. It’s a very competitive class. We are all very close in times and everybody has the potential to be the best.”

Vladykina has spent the year since Montreal both competing and carving out a public profile for herself in Russia, perhaps with an eye to the long-term future.

She lit the Paralympic Flame at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games as well as being the Mayor of the Athlete Village. The Games involved many public appearances on both a national and international stage and cemented her fame gained from wins at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

But that leaves the question of Rio 2016. In spite of her age (Vladykina will be 28 by the time the Games start), it is difficult for her to resist the prospect of another Paralympics.

“For now I just think about the European Championships. But in my dreams and in my mind Rio would be fantastic. I feel strongly about that.”

The 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships run from 4-10 August in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and will feature nearly 400 swimmers from 37 countries.

Tickets are still available at the event website, as well as high quality photos of the event and live results.

All morning and evening sessions will be livestreamed at www.ParalympicSport.TV.

Live updates will be posted to www.Facebook.com/IPCSwimming and www.Twitter.com/IPCSwimming or search #Eindhoven2014.