From 18 to 25 April, the Russian Swimming Championship took place at the Aquatics Palace in the capital of the Republic of Mari El. The open competition featured 142 swimmers from 27 regions of Russia, including athletes from the Republic of Belarus. The championship kicked off with an opening ceremony attended by Sergei Mukhortov (Minister of Sports of the Republic of Mari El), Larisa Samusenkova (Head of the Awarding Department of OSFSG), Yuri Seldiukov (Chairman of the regional branch of OSFSG), and Ekaterina Boiko (Vice-Chairman of the regional branch of VOG).

Over six competitive days, the pool lanes were alive with fierce battles across all swimming disciplines, as each athlete pushed to deliver their best performances.

Day 1 Highlights

Men’s 100m backstroke: Mark Troshin (Moscow Region) won with a time of 57.47 seconds.

Women’s 200m backstroke: Karina Tuliakova (Moscow) secured gold in 2:32.57.

Men’s 400m freestyle: Filipp Torishni (Saratov) took the lead.

Women’s 400m freestyle: Victoria Terenteva (Astrakhan) claimed her first gold.

Women’s 100m butterfly: Ksenia Sedova (Nizhny Novgorod) triumphed, later adding another gold in the 50m butterfly.

Day 2 Highlights

Victoria Terenteva shone again, earning two more golds (100m freestyle and 1500m freestyle). Other winners included:

Karina Tuliakova (50m breaststroke)

Fernando Muratov (200m medley)

Alexander Diatlov (200m breaststroke)

Mark Troshin (200m backstroke)

Moscow team (Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay)

Three Russian records were broken, underscoring the competition’s high level:

Alexander Diatlov (200m breaststroke)

Mark Troshin (200m backstroke)

Ksenia Tikhonova (Astrakhan, 100m breaststroke)

Day 3 Highlights

Men’s winners:

Fernando Muratov (Moscow, 100m medley)

Stepan Skosirski (Tomsk, 200m medley)

Alexander Diatlov (Rostov, 50m breaststroke)

Filipp Torishni (Saratov, 800m medley)

Women’s winners:

Ksenia Tikhonova (Astrakhan, 100m breaststroke)

Olga Kliuchnikova (Penza, 50m backstroke)

Moscow team (4x100m medley relay)

Day 4 Highlights

The men’s competition saw familiar leaders reaffirm their dominance:

Mark Troshin (50m backstroke)

Stepan Skosirski (400m medley)

Moscow team (4x200m freestyle relay)

Meanwhile, a new generation of female swimmers emerged:

Victoria Terentieva (800m medley) continued her dominance.

14-year-old Daria Barzhina (Moscow, 200m butterfly) lived up to expectations.

13-year-old Regina Bilalova (Sverdlovsk, 400m medley) stunned spectators with a surprise victory.

Day 5 Highlights

Seven more golds were awarded:

Women’s winners:

Polina Zemskova (Krasnoyarsk, 50m freestyle)

Ekaterina Denisova (Moscow, 100m backstroke)

Ksenia Tikhonova (Astrakhan, 200m breaststroke)

Ksenia Sedova (Nizhny Novgorod, 50m butterfly)

Men’s winners:

Filipp Torishni (Saratov, 1500m freestyle)

Stepan Skosirski (Tomsk, 100m butterfly)

Moscow team (Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay)

Final Day Highlights

The last day crowned champions in seven events:

Men’s winners:

Andrei Zhivaev (Saratov, 50m freestyle)

Alexander Diatlov (Rostov, 100m breaststroke)

Stepan Skosirski (Tomsk, 200m butterfly)

Women’s winners:

Victoria Terentieva (Astrakhan, 200m freestyle) – 5 golds and 1 silver, making her the Championships’ top multimedallist.

Ekaterina Denisova (Moscow, 200m backstroke)

Moscow teams (Both 4x100m medley relays)

Final Team Standings

1st place – Moscow

2nd place – Saratov Region

3rd place – Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra

RESULTS OF ALL DAYS

Maria Buiniakova, Head Coach of the Russian National Swimming Team, shared her thoughts:

“This Championship was more than just a qualifier—it was a symbol of hope, proving that any obstacle can be overcome. Six days of fierce competition, 41 medal events, and one shared dream: the Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo (or wherever fate takes us). The passionate support from Yoshkar-Ola’s spectators will stay with these swimmers forever.

Were there organizational hiccups? Yes, but they faded in the face of the athletes’ sheer determination.

Among the standout performances: Alexander Diatlov’s 200m breaststroke (2:18.57, 742 FINA points); Mark Troshin’s 100m backstroke (57.47, 723 points); Stepan Skosirski’s 200m medley (2:07.07, 722 points); Victoria Terenteva’s 100m freestyle (58.64, 685 points).

These results show elite readiness for the Deaflympics.

As head coach, I extend my deepest gratitude to the referees for their flawless work and to OSFSG for making this unforgettable event possible — and for believing in our future.”

Text: Andrei Popov, Nurlan Tazhigulov

Photo: Ilia Sarikin, Ekaterina Novikova

Translation: Daria Kudelina