Roman Polianskyi (; born September 1, 1986) is a Ukrainian pararower. He is the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

gold medalist in the men's single sculls.

Early life

Polianskyi is originally from the village Khanzhenkovo near

Makiivka Makiivka (, ), formerly Dmytriivsk () until 1931, is an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine, located east from Donetsk. The two cities are practically a conurbation. It has a population of It hosts the administration of Makiivka ...

in the Donetsk Province of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. He started doing sports at the age of four, at the urging of his father. Polianskyi started experiencing symptoms of Strumpell disease at the age of ten. He moved to

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

in spring 2014, at the start of the

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine From the end of February 2014, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the ousting of Russian-leaning President of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, demonstrations by Russian-backed, ...

. Polianskyi was training in rowing for two years prior to the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. During that time he trained with coach Yuri Bondarenko in

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

. When Polianskyi was 18, his father died from a mining accident; his mother died two years later. Polianskyi has a younger sister. Polianskyi now uses a wheelchair.

Athletic career

Initially Polianskyi competed in para-canoeing but switched to para-rowing once canoeing was not included in the Rio

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...

program. Polianskyi competes in men's PR1 single sculls in para-rowing events. The PR1 classification designates those para-rowing athletes who compete while mainly using their arms and shoulders. Polianskyi has the medical condition called

hereditary spastic paraplegia Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of inherited diseases whose main feature is a progressive Gait abnormality, gait disorder. The disease presents with progressive stiffness (spasticity) and contraction in the lower limbs. HSP is als ...

. The condition is also known as Strumpell disease. Polianskyi's first para-rowing sports race was in 2014 in Gavirate, Italy, where he came fourth.ROMAN POLIANSKYI (UKR). Athlete of the Month - August 2017

International Rowing Federation World Rowing, also known as the World Rowing Federation (officially FISA; ), is the international governing body for rowing. Its current president is Jean-Christophe Rolland who succeeded Denis Oswald at a ceremony held in Lucerne in July 2 ...

. Accessed September 1, 2019. He won the gold medal in men's single sculls at the

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. In the final race Polianskyi came ahead of the world champion, Erik Horrie of Australia, and the 2008 Paralympic champion, Tom Aggar of Great Britain. In that race Polianskyi also set a new Paralympic record, with the time of 04:39.56. Polianskyi won the silver medal in men's PR1 single sculls at the

2017 World Rowing Championships The 2017 World Rowing Championships were the 47th edition of the World Rowing Championships that were held from 24 September to 1 October 2017 in Sarasota, Florida. Host selection During 2013, Plovdiv and Sarasota, Florida both applied to host ...

at Sarasota and also the

2018 World Rowing Championships The 2018 World Rowing Championships were the World Rowing Championships held at the regatta course in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The event was held from 9 to 16 September. Events held were men and women's open class, lightweight class, and para-rowing. ...

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

. He won the gold medal in the same discipline at the

2019 World Rowing Championships The 2019 World Rowing Championships were held in Ottensheim, Austria from 25 August to 1 September 2019. Apart from Ottensheim, the right to host the championships was contested by Hamburg in Germany, Račice (Litoměřice District), Račice in ...

in Linz Ottensheim. There he also set the new world record in PR1 men's single sculls, at 09:12.99, improving the previous world record by almost 4 seconds. The victory qualified Polianskyi for participation in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Polianskyi won the gold medal in PR1 single sculls at the Para Rowing International Regatta in Gavirate, Italy in 2017, and again in 2018. For his 2016 Paralympic victory, Polianskyi was awarded the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

, 3-d Class, by the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

. Polianskyi holds the rank of Candidate for Master of Sport of Ukraine.Athlete profile
, National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine. Accessed September 2, 2019.

Notes

References

External links

*
Athlete profile
National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine {{DEFAULTSORT:Polianskyi, Roman Living people 1986 births Ukrainian male rowers Rowers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Rowers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Rowers at the 2024 Summer Paralympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Ukraine Paralympic gold medalists for Ukraine Paralympic silver medalists for Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class Paralympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic rowers for Ukraine Sportspeople from Donetsk Oblast 21st-century Ukrainian sportsmen