Penza swimmer Viktoria Andreeva: As if wings grew out of my back

Andreeva managed to achieve the qualifying standard and earned a chance to show her worth at the European Short Course Championships this December. It should be noted though that she succeeded to punch the tickets to the Europeans as early as yesterday after she beat a national record in the 100m individual medley with 59.70.

Viktoria Andreeva has already made a name for herself: she’s a two-time Russian record holder in the women’s 200m individual medley (2009), and gold medallist and Russian record holder in the 4x100m freestyle relay (2010).

– How was the race for you yesterday?

– It was all right. I hoped I will finish with a better time but I’m still happy that I qualified for the Europeans. Now I will do my best to show good results there.

– Which event is your most favourite one?

– All of them are. I currently enjoy swimming all the events that’s why I’m not able to choose between them.

– What is the reason for your enjoyment?

– The way I view myself has changed. It is as if wings grew out of my back, and I simply enjoy my swimming. People started putting their faith in me. Our head coach, Sergey Kolmogorov, supports me and gives me a high five when I win. I’m pleased and I want to show to everyone that I’m capable of much more.

– What did your coach say after you set the record?

– My personal coach, Galina Dolgova, was extremely happy and content with me. She jumped for joy and was at a loss for words, but we perfectly understood each other.

– Did she write a poem for you?

– She always does that during training sessions (laughs). She’s very creative and positive; these are the most important things for me.

– How crucial was it for you to break this record?

– Actually, I haven’t planned to beat a record in the 100m event because I have a hard time swimming it. But I was on cloud nine when I did it. We want to dedicate it to my first coach, Boris Nazarov, and Mikhail Amelchenko who had also trained me. Unfortunately, they both passed away. 

Press Office of Executive Directorate for Sports Projects