Elena Krawzow

Started: She began swimming in 2009 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018) Reason: She was invited to join a training session at a club in Nuremberg, Germany. (nuernberg.de, 08 Sep 2012) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Facebook page, 05 Sep 2023; zdf.de, 15 Feb 2023) Awards: In 2019, 2021, and 2023 she was named Berlin Female Athlete of the Year in Germany. (morgenpost.de, 02 Dec 2023; tagesspiegel.de, 15 Dec 2021, 14 Dec 2019) She was named 2021 German Para Athlete of the Year in a vote held by the German National Paralympic Committee [DBS]. (rbb24.de, 28 Nov 2021) In November 2021 she received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt [Silver Laurel Leaf] in recognition of the gold medal she won at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She also received the award in November 2012 after she won silver at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (bundespraesident.de, 08 Nov 2021, 07 Nov 2012) She was named the 2013 Youth Athlete of the Year by the Deutsche Sporthilfe foundation in Germany. (sporthilfe.de, 25 May 2015) She was named the 2013 Female Athlete of the Year in Nuremberg, Germany. (newsmax.de, 28 Jan 2014) In 2012 she was named the Female Para Athlete of the Year by German sports association BVS Bayern. (bvs-bayern.com, 15 Dec 2013) She was named the 2012 Female Athlete of the Year at the TSV Alfenfurt club in Germany. (tsvaltenfurt.de, 01 Aug 2014) Additional Info: POST-TOKYO BRAIN TUMOUR She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour after competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She underwent surgery to remove the tumour in November 2021 and returned to competition in March 2022 at the World Series event in Berlin, Germany. In February 2023 she finished chemotherapy after 13 cycles. "I have contained the cancer. It will come back, that's a fact. I don't want to lie to myself about this. I know that this type of cell cannot be completely destroyed. But I hope that I have peace and quiet for the next few years. One of my first questions after my brain operation was how soon can I train again. I think this is one of the most important things in life, to have goals, rather than staying at home, thinking about all the horrible things. The new Elena, after all those horrible things, is more relaxed, thankful, and somehow enjoying much more the little things in life." (morgenpost.de, 02 Dec 2023; rbb24.de, 30 Sep 2023; zdf.de, 15 Feb 2023; paralympic.org, 30 Mar 2022; bbc.com, 27 Apr 2022) TOKYO REDEMPTION After winning silver in the SB13 100m breaststroke on her Paralympic debut in London in 2012, she was left disappointed following her fifth-place finish in the same event at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She said that as a result, she struggled for motivation after the Games, and that she began to focus more on the mental side of the sport. "At that time [the 2016 Games] the pressure was incredible for me, and I just couldn't deliver my performance. That was a big defeat for me at that moment, and it also took me a long time to deal with it, to find my motivation again. It felt like everything was going down the drain. I had never learned to lose before. It took me a whole season after that to figure out for myself what I actually want and how I should go on. However, I have now also learned through mental training to deal better with these expectations." At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, she went on to claim gold in the SB13 100m breaststroke. "I had to ask a volunteer at the poolside what my time was. After that I realised I was the winner. It was very emotional for me. There was a lot of work and sacrifices for this medal so I was the happiest girl in the world." (bbc.com, 27 Apr 2022; abendzeitung-muenchen.de, 30 Oct 2020) TECHNIQUE She counts her strokes in the pool to ensure she focuses only on her own performance. "I know nothing about what's happening around me in those seconds [after entering the water]. That's partly because of my disability, but also my focus. I count the strokes to orientate myself. That way I know when in one more stroke there will be the wall and the turn. I can't tell what's going on in lane three, five or wherever. I worry only about myself, my technique, my race." (bbc.com, 27 Apr 2022) PLAYBOY COVER In September 2020 she became the first Paralympian to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine, when she featured in the German edition of the publication. "I couldn't turn down this opportunity. With the shoot, I want to set an example for more tolerance in society, so that people with a disability can create anything and not hide, even if you are not like most people, because not every disability is seen at first glance. Diversity is part of society and tolerance helps us all. The interest was really amazing. It has been reported around the world. I've had so much positive feedback. Women and men who thanked me because I showed that you don't have to be perfect to be satisfied with yourself. I come from a conservative family, so of course it was a shock for them. I talked to my mother about it three days before it came out. She was behind me, she thought it was a great statement from me to be the first Paralympic athlete on the cover of Playboy. But my father had to swallow. It was also hard for my relatives in Kazakhstan, they didn't understand why I did it." (abendzeitung-muenchen.de, 30

Sporting Relatives: Her husband Phillip Semechin has served as her personal coach and as an assistant coach for the German national Para swimming team. (teamdeutschland-paralympics.de, 14 Apr 2022; Team Deutschland Paralympics Facebook page, 02 Nov 2021)