Arkady Vyatchanin - Russian Serbian

Arkady Vyatchanin is now a former Russian swimmer who plays for the national team of Serbia. The sportsman left his homeland after a series of scandals that occurred in recent years.

Personal data

Arkady Vyatchanin was born on April 4, 1894 in one of the villages of the Komi Republic near Vorkuta.

He is a well-deserved master of sports in swimming. Specializes in swimming on the back.

In 2015, he changed his citizenship from Russian to Serbian. So, in 2016, the former Russian athlete Arkady Vyatchanin will represent Serbia at the Olympic Games in Rio.

Biography

Arkady was born and raised in the "aquarium of goldfish", so he is jokingly called his family. Such an interesting nickname for Vyatchanin was not without reason: father, Arkady Fyodorovich, nine times became the swimming champion of the RSFSR, his mother, Irina Germanovna, has the title of Honored Coach of Russia. Irina Vyatchanina devoted her life to swimming and training swimmers, Sister Alla - in the past a multiple champion of the country in swimming, and now the trainer is preparing a new swimmer change. And his first aunt, his younger sister, Lyudmila Vyatchanina, who came to Vorkuta in 1983, became his first coach.

In such a sports and swimming family, Arkady Vyatchanin grew up. The swimmer from it turned out very good, surpassing all expectations of relatives.

Sports career

Since 1992, Arkady begins training with his father. And very soon the guy starts showing hopeful results. In 1999 the whole family moved to Taganrog. In the following year, 2000, Arkady Vyatchanin was invited to the national team.

In 2003, the athlete achieves his first major victories at the international level. The World Cup in Barcelona brings Arkady as part of the combined relay race a silver medal, and then in the individual championship he became the second at a distance of 100 m on the back.

In 2004, at the world championship in Indianapolis Arkady won the relay bronze (4x100 m on the back) and another bronze, sailing 200 m on the back. Unfortunately, at the Olympics in the same year, Arkady did not show impressive results, despite the increased training.

In 2005, in Montreal at the World Cup, Vyatchanin won silver in the relay race. And at the European Championships he won silver medals, perfectly passing 50 m, 100 m and 200 m on his back.

In 2006, he collected two gold, swam faster than the other 100 and 200 meters on his back at the championship in Budapest. Then the title of the champion of Europe passed Arkady (a new record was 1 minute 55.44 seconds). At the same championship, the team of Russian swimmers together with Arkady won gold in the relay race 4x100 m. At the European Championships in short water in Helsinki in the same 2006, he received two more gold, swam faster than all 100 and 200 m on his back.

In 2007, the harvest of medals was not so impressive: only the bronze of the World Championships in Melbourne. This year, his father and coach are disqualified for two years. In this regard, Arkady Vyatchanin changes the coach. Now, according to his father's methods, his mother, Irina Vyatchanina, works with him. Under her leadership, the athlete is gaining an optimal shape and coming to the Olympics.

In 2008, at the European Championships in Holland, he becomes the third, swimming 100 meters on the back, the second at 200 meters on the back and with the relay team becomes the first.

And finally in 2008 Arkady won Olympic medals - a dream of all athletes. Two Olympic bronzes for 100 and 200 meters became two pearls in the collection of medals.

In 2009, Vyatchin received the gold of the European Championship in Turkey.

Then in the career of the athlete was a long break. Arkady in the end of 2009 suffered several operations before his eyes.

Change of citizenship

In April 2013, Arkady announced that he was completing the performance for the Russian national team and will play for Serbia.

This event was preceded by events, the main figurant of which was Arkady Vyatchanin. The conflict followed the conflict, and for several years the smooth waters of the closed circle of Russian swimmers are covered with ripples. It all began after the problems of Arkady with his eyes. The problems of the prospective sportsman were of little concern to the leadership of the team. It was said that his technique fell apart, and the athlete himself suffers from a "star disease". This attitude was not to the liking of the athlete, and he began to openly conflict with the leadership and show dissatisfaction with the rules established in the national team. The result of the squabbles was the deduction from the national team in 2011.

Arkady left to train in the US, which caused extreme displeasure of the leaders of the Russian team, but, given Arkady's crucial role in relay races, he still included the swimmer in the Olympic team. In 2012, at the Olympics nothing outstanding Arkady could not be shown.

And now, after all the setbacks that Arkady had comprehended at the time, he decided to change his sports citizenship. The goal was to get into the US team, but the length of the procedure deprived him of the chances of getting into a powerful American team. Continuing to dream about the Olympics, Arkady considered the option of performance under the flag of the IOC.

And in late 2015, the athlete received Serbian citizenship and said that he had already been selected to the national team of this country to participate in the Olympics.