MINSK, 20 November (BelTA) – Anastasiya Shkurdai has won the first gold medal for the Belarusian team during the international tournament Strongest Athletes Swimming Cup in Minsk, BelTA has learned.
On the first day of the tournament Anastasiya Shkurdai competed in the 200m medley swimming. In the finals the Brest resident clocked in at 2 minutes and 08.11 seconds and took the win, beating Russia’s Yana Shakirova by a second. Another Russian, Irina Zvyagintseva, rounded out the top three.
“It was a significant moment for me to win the first gold medal for our country. It’s nice to see so many fans in the stands and feel their support. I haven’t heard anything like this at home for a long time, and it motivates me to swim as fast as I can,” Anastasiya Shkurdai said.
The first individual set of awards in the Strongest Athletes Swimming Cup was contested in the 1500m freestyle event. The second place in the finals went to Belarus’ Alesya Akinchits, followed by her compatriot Kseniya Mastovich. The best time was shown by Russia’s Arina Pantina.
“Silver is good, but I’m not very satisfied with my result. The competition was quite tough, with a very strong athlete from Russia in the next lane. It’s good to have someone to swim after,” Alesya Akinchits said. “Home competitions are very important, and a tournament of this scale is particularly so.”
The international tournament Strongest Athletes Swimming Cup has gathered a total of about 500 athletes from 11 countries in Minsk. The participants include world champions, European champions, and Olympic Games finalists. The competitions will last through 23 November, with a total of 46 medal events in the program.
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