Andrei Yakovlevich Kalina (Russian: Андрей Яковлевич Калина; born 21 July 1987) is a Ukraine-born Russian Paralympic swimmer who represented Ukraine from 2002 to 2013 and Russia since 2015.[1]
Biography edit
Early life edit
Kalina was born 21 July 1987 in Slavyansk (Sloviansk), Soviet Union, with a missing left lower arm.[2] In 2000, he started swimming in the Donetsk-based sports center Invasport.[3] However, he almost decided to retire from sports after he did not find good conditions even in Kyiv. So, he started search them outside of Ukraine, eventually deciding to emigrate to Russia. After finding better practice and living conditions in Russia, Kalina decided to represent Russia internationally in 2015.[2] During Russian-Ukrainian War silently supported aggression against his home country.
Career edit
Competing for Ukraine, Kalina won numerous titles, including the Paralympic Games three times in a row. Kalina won his fourth consecutive title in 100 m breaststroke at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, now representing the Russian Paralympic Committee.[4]
References edit
- ^ "Andrei Kalina". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Андрей КАЛИНА: В России у меня открылось второе дыхание" [Andrey KALINA: I got a second wind in Russia]. vecherkaspb.ru (in Russian).
- ^ "КАЗНАЧЕ́ЄВ Андрій Вікторович" [KAZNACHEEV Andriy Viktorovych]. esu.com.ua (in Ukrainian).
- ^ "Swimming – KALINA Andrei". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
External link edit
- Andrei Kalina at the International Paralympic Committee
- Andrei Kalina at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
