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Altai Krai Underwater Sports Federation Championship 2026: Biysk Hosts Multi-Day Finswimming Showdown
Biysk, Altai Krai — March 7–10, 2026
The Zarya swimming pool in Biysk became the center of competitive underwater sports this past weekend as athletes from across Siberia gathered for the Altai Krai Underwater Sports Federation Championship and Junior Championship. Over four days of racing, hundreds of competitors took to the 50-meter pool to contest events in finswimming, classic finswimming, and distance diving — a demanding and spectacular sport that remains little-known outside dedicated athletic circles.
A Regional Showcase of Underwater Talent
The competition drew participants not only from the host city of Biysk and the regional capital Barnaul, but also from Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Gorno-Altaysk, and Kemerovo — making it a genuinely cross-regional affair despite its championship status within Altai Krai. Clubs including Biysk’s МБУ ДО “СШ Дельфин”, Gorno-Altaysk’s “Altai Swim”, Tomsk’s PK “Dolphin-Tomsk” and SKAT TGU, Novosibirsk’s MAU SSHOR, and Barnaul’s VVS “Akvanaff” all fielded strong contingents across the age categories.
The age range on display was remarkable. The youngest competitors were born in 2017 and 2018 — barely eight years old — while the senior men’s podium featured athletes born as far back as 1997. This breadth speaks to the depth of the finswimming pipeline that coaches in the region have built over many years.
Top Performances and Highlights
Senior Men and Women
The senior categories produced some of the meet’s most impressive times. In the men’s 50m finswimming, Kirin Parinov (2010, Biysk Dolphin) — competing at the top of the junior-senior crossover — clocked a stunning 15.03 seconds, achieving the Master of Sports (МС) standard, one of the meet’s most notable individual achievements. His clubmate Pavel Tutushev followed in 15.65 and Andrei Samosudov in 15.77, both recording Candidate Master of Sports (КМС) marks.
In the women’s senior 50m, Elizaveta Shukunova (2008) posted 19.56 seconds, earning a КМС classification.
The men’s 200m finswimming was headlined by Leonty Kuznetsov (2006), who posted 1:25.04 for КМС, while the 400m saw him clock 3:08.06 — achieving the Master of Sports standard once again. Notably, Biysk coach and athlete Yakov Stryukov (born 1997, МСМК — International Class Master of Sports) also competed in the 400m finswimming for men, finishing in 3:11.86 and recording an МС mark — a reminder that elite-level performance in this discipline extends well into athletic maturity.
Junior Standouts
The junior races were fiercely contested across all age groups. In the girls’ 50m finswimming (2009–2010 age group), Polina Tsaregorodtseva recorded 19.46 seconds for a КМС standard, while Polina Litsukova followed in 20.09. For the boys in the same group, Kirin Parinov again led the way — his dominance across multiple events a defining storyline of the meet.
In the older junior category (2011–2012), Mikhail Volkov turned heads in the boys’ 50m finswimming with a time of 17.77 seconds, claiming first place and a first-rank classification. On the girls’ side, Milana Kulemina (2012) was the standout performer, winning the 50m, 200m, and 400m finswimming events in her age group and earning a КМС mark in the 200m.
Among the youngest competitors (2017 and under), Veronika Khomyakova and Ivan Zakharov were consistent frontrunners, both picking up multiple podium finishes across finswimming and classic finswimming disciplines throughout the competition’s opening days.
Classic Finswimming and Distance Diving
The classic finswimming events — contested with a single monofin replaced by traditional bi-fin equipment — produced their own crop of impressive results. Alina Komarova (2014, Novosibirsk) won the girls’ classic finswimming 100m in the 2013–2014 age group in 54.72 seconds, ahead of Gorno-Altaysk’s Maria Isakova (55.43) and Novosibirsk’s Alena Kondrashova (55.65) — a tight and exciting podium.
The distance diving events on day three added a dramatic, breath-hold element to the competition. Athletes dove underwater over 50 meters in a single breath, with times rather than distances determining the winner in this format. Kuznetsov and Stryukov again competed in the senior men’s event, with Kuznetsov finishing in 3:08.06 (МС) and Stryukov in 3:11.86 (МС) — an exceptional pair of performances.
Relay Events
The relay competitions brought a team dimension to the meet. In the mixed 4×50m classic finswimming relay for the 2013–2014 age group, the “Akadem-Volna Novosibirsk” team challenged Biysk’s multiple Dolphin entries, with Biysk’s top squad ultimately edging out the competition. The finswimming relays saw particularly spirited racing across the 2009–2012 and 2015–2016 age brackets, with teams representing Biysk, Gorno-Altaysk, Tomsk, and Novosibirsk all finishing on the podium across various categories.
A Sport Growing in Strength
Finswimming — underwater swimming using mono or bi-fins — remains a niche discipline on the global sports calendar but enjoys a committed and passionate following across Siberia. The Altai Krai Federation has clearly invested heavily in youth development: the sheer volume of competitors across more than a dozen age categories, many of them achieving national classification standards, points to a healthy and well-coached sport in the region.
Coaches including Chubayeva E.V., Skorokhod E.I., Rylova N.A., Cherepanova O.V., Silvanovich A.Yu., and Ermolenko A.G. were particularly well-represented on the results sheets — a testament to the coaching depth that makes events like this possible.
With the pool clocking off at the Zarya facility after four full days of competition, the Altai Krai finswimming community can look back on a well-organized and competitive championship — and forward to the next generation of talent already making their presence felt in the water.
