Olesya Vladikina | |
Fullname: | Olesya Yuriyevna Vladykina |
Nationality: | Russian |
Birth Date: | 14 February 1988 |
Birth Place: | Moscow, Soviet Union |
Height: | 1.80 m |
Weight: | 46 kg |
Strokes: | Breaststroke, Freestyle |
Classification: | SB8 |
Olesya Yuriyevna Vladykina (Russian: Оле́ся Ю́рьевна Влады́кина, born 14 February 1988)[1] is a Paralympic swimmer from Russia competing mainly in category SB8 events.
Vladykina competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. She won gold in the 100m Breaststroke, setting a new world record time. She also finished fourth in the 200m individual medley.[2]
Vladykina started swimming at Young People's Olympic Reserve Sports School 47 and practiced the sport professionally for 10 years until her entrance to Moscow State University of Railway Engineering,[3] when she concentrated on her studies, leaving active swimming for a year until her injury.
She lost her left arm when she and some friends were in Thailand on holiday and their touring bus overturned; she also suffered the loss of her best friend in the accident. She resumed training a month after she was released from the hospital, and five months later she won the Beijing Paralympic final.[4]