Roman Zhdanov, three-time Paralympic champion and five-time world champion after winning the Summer Games “We are together. Sport” explained why disabled athletes of different classes are put in a single race.
On Thursday, Zhdanov won the 200m freestyle at a competition in Sochi.
What do you think of this victory?
“One more distance traveled and one more struggle with oneself,” Zhdanov said.
“Not with rivals?”
— The main competitor is time. I don’t rely on people, but on seconds.
– In swimming, you didn’t finish first…
– This is the peculiarity of competitions with a large number of participants. Swimmers are brought together with approximately equal declared times. Although the medical class of the participants and, therefore, the lag, is different. Champions in different classes are determined by time, not by place in the round.
“Are you from Gorno-Altaisk?”
– Yes, but I moved to Biysk, I play for the Altai Territory. I came to swimming for health and then moved on to a solid level.
Are you a wheelchair user?
– I was born normal. When they were three years old, they injured their spinal cord while doing a puncture.
– Has this had any consequences for doctors?
– It stays on their conscience. What to remember now? I live, I perform, I’m used to it.
– Is it difficult to hold the first position of the country at your distance?
– It’s both work and training, of course. Five or six a week, depending on the stage of preparation.
The Paralympic swimming competitions take place in the outdoor swimming pool of the Grand Hotel Polyana in Estosadok and will end on October 8.
Source : MatchTV
