Russian swimmer Vladimir Sotnikov announced that he wants to beat Belarusian Igor Boky, a 21-time Paralympic champion. The athlete’s words are quoted “Match TV”.
“He’s a 21-time Paralympic champion, a strong guy. I hope I’ll be one of the first to surpass him,” Sotnikov said.
Bokiy won the 200m medley in the S13 class at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris with a world record of 2:02.03. France’s Alex Portal came in second with a time of 2:06.66 and Sotnikov came in third with a time of 2:10.56.
48 track and field athletes, 35 swimmers, 2 taekwondo representatives, 2 triathletes and 5 table tennis athletes applied for the Paralympic Games. On August 14, Craig Spence, the International Paralympic Committee’s communications director, reported that 90 applications had been approved. However, the French government later refused visas to two athletes from Russia who planned to participate in the Summer Paralympics.
On March 6, the International Paralympic Committee published criteria that would allow Russian Paralympic athletes to compete at the Games only with neutral status. Russian athletes will not be able to attend the opening and closing ceremonies, and their medals will not count towards the standings.
Former Ukrainian Paralympic athlete insult Russian after defeat.