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The Ukrainian Roman Polianskyi was born with a competitive fire that was lovingly kindled by his father. That is the basis for his dominance in para rowing since the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016.
“My father saw a special fire in me and awakened a love for sport [in me] from an early age, â€said Polianskyi.
As a child, he was an active athlete even after being diagnosed at the age of 10 with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), which affects the muscles in the lower limbs with increasing stiffness and decreased elasticity.
That didn’t shake the future Paralympic Champion.
“Once, when I was at Burdenko Spinal Health Resort in Crimea, I took part in arm wrestling,†Polianskyi recalls. “I won first place with my right and left arm.”
This upper arm strength would come in handy on the water.
FIND HIS “ELIXIR OF LIFE”
Polianskyi remained active in athletics as a teenager. But severe hardship followed him.
At the age of 18 he lost his father in an accident at work. His mother died shortly afterwards.
“The most important thing is to start with small goals and move forward,†he said of dealing with adversity. “I am fortunate to have the character of my father who gave birth to my will to win.”
This competition fire led Polianskyi to take over the canoe sprint. But at the time, the sport wasn’t part of the Paralympic program for Rio 2016, so he found another sport that used similar muscles – para rowing, which had been on the program since Beijing 2008.
“I was drawn to rowing,” he said of the decision. “Water has really become my ‘elixir of life’.”
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WALK THE LONG DISTANCE
But then there was another hardship.
When war broke out near his home in Donetsk in 2014, Polianskyi had to flee. He’s switched to the sport from his new home.
“I was already an IDP [Internally Displaced Person, i.e., a refugee within your own country] back then in Odessa, â€he recalled. “In the beginning it was difficult – to overcome uncertainty, even fear … But what was difficult – turned into an advantage.”
One benefit could be an understatement.
Polianskyi won Paralympics gold just two years after entering the sport, defeating both reigning Paralympic champion Cheng Huang from China and Australian world champion Erik Horrie in the men’s two-man singles.
Then there is another challenge to be mastered. Para rowing was changed from the 1,000 meter race to the Olympic distance of 2,000 meters. For him it was initially a change.
He lost the World Championship to Horrie the year after his Paralympic triumph, but learned a valuable lesson.
© Getty
“I’ve been thinking about this race for a long time and that every man strives to be the strongest, but the toughest fight is internal,” said the 34-year-old. “I remember it was the toughest race, bad weather. I realized that I had not yet reached the distance of 2,000 meters and had the feeling that I was not ready yet. But I really wanted to win. “
Polianskyi expanded his training to 10 units of two and a half hours per week. The results were obvious.
After being beaten by rival Horrie by less than a second at the 2018 World Rowing Championships, Polianskyi became world champion himself in 2019 and set a world best with 9: 12.99 – which is still standing.
He also won the European Championship title in April with just under 12 seconds ahead of Briton Benjamin Pritchard.
“My muscles seem designed for long distances and long work,†he admitted. “The long distance – it’s mine!”
THE POWER OF PARA SPORTS
Polianskyi hopes to win his trophy case for the second time in a row this summer, a Paralympic record in the PR1M1x.
After the race, he hopes to work in rehabilitation.
“I would love to help children and people with disabilities. Sport is a great force for all people with disabilities, so I recommend everyone everywhere to be physically active and do sports. “
“My wife Oleksandra – herself a par-rower – and I like to watch films, listen to music and cook … sometimes we go to the village for a barbecue,” he continued. “There is a lake nearby that we like to swim in.”
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