On October 12, the Russian Cup in deaf sports for swimming opened in Penza.

111 of the strongest athletes fr om 22 constituent entities of the Russian Federation competed for three hot competition days on the water lanes of the "Sura" Water Sports Palace.

The swimmers, among them 3 Honored Masters of Sport, 15 Masters of Sport International Class, 34 Masters of Sport, and 22 Candidate Masters of Sport, engaged in fierce rivalry in races for records in the water, wh ere the gap between them sometimes reached only tenths or even hundredths of a second.

At the grand opening ceremony, the competition participants were warmly welcomed and wished success in the uncompromising struggle by: the Head of the Judging Department of the OSFSG, Technical Delegate of the Russian Cup, Artem Nesterov, and the Chairman of the Regional Branch of the OSFSG for the Penza Region, Galina Kuramshina.

On the first day's program, swimmers competed in the following events: 100m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 800m freestyle, and the 4x100m medley relay.

Long-term leaders of the national team showed stable results time and again, but it was obvious that competition from the growing ambitious youth had noticeably increased. In some heats, it was they who played the leading role.

On the second day, swimmers competed in the following disciplines: 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 50m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 100m individual medley, 800m freestyle (men), and the 4x100m freestyle mixed relay. And again, the increased ambitions of the young athletes, who openly challenged the recognized champions, were visible to the naked eye.

On the third and final day, athletes fought for the highest awards in the disciplines: 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 400m freestyle, as well as the men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relays.

The very first, shortest, and fastest 50m freestyle heat was marked by a very rare event in this sport: in a fierce struggle for bronze, two athletes finished with absolutely identical results.

In the absence of some recognized leaders who decided to skip this tournament, the progress of promising and very determined swimmers aged 15-19 was noticeable on this day as well, sometimes setting an unbearable pace even for the long-time sports figures.

And, of course, the mood and tone in the team race were set by the Moscow swimmers, who led with a crushing gap throughout all competition days.

Team Standings:

1st place - Moscow - 82,837 points

2nd place - Smolensk Oblast - 19,141 points

3rd place - Nizhny Novgorod Oblast - 17,082 points

RESULTS

Maria Buinyakova, Senior Coach of the Russian National Swimming Team:

“The year is coming to an end, and the Russian Cup has shown us the swimmers' current form, whether they can maintain it, and if there are any promising young talents.”

Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov, Maria Mazhenina

Photos: Galina Kuramshina, Galina Morozova

Translation: Daria Kudelina