“If it really comes down to it, we’re ready”: The Alekseeva sisters reveal their plans for their sports career after the Tokyo Olympics

Ukrainian synchronized swimmers Vladyslava and Maryna Alekseeva, who won the bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the team event, have publicly commented for the first time on their current state and future plans. According to the athletes, they have not announced the end of their careers and continue to train, although they have not yet made a final decision about continuing their active competitive cycle. The sisters describe their current status as a “creative break,” during which they maintain their fitness, study the new rules of the sport, and keep an eye on developments in world synchronized swimming.

“Creative break” and readiness to return

“For now, we’re on a creative break. At least, that’s what we call it ourselves. We train and coach, we dive into the new rules. We’re aware of what’s going on, we keep track of everything, and we keep ourselves in shape. If it really comes down to it, we’re ready to return. We haven’t yet made a final decision about our future careers,” the Alekseeva sisters emphasized in their statement. The athletes also noted that the working conditions in Ukraine are currently “ambiguous,” which makes the process of making a final decision more complicated and requires additional time for reflection.

The road to Olympic bronze: key achievements

Vladyslava and Maryna Alekseeva represent the Kharkiv region and are among the most decorated synchronized swimmers in Ukrainian history. Their path to the Olympic medal in Tokyo was underpinned by a whole series of victories at the largest international competitions. In 2019, at the World Championships in Gwangju, the sisters won the gold medal in the highlight discipline. At the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, they doubled their success, winning gold in two disciplines — the highlight and the combination. Thus, by the time of the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Alekseevas were already among the favorites in world synchronized swimming.

A triumph in Rome and state-level recognition

A true triumph in the sisters’ career was the 2022 European Championships in Rome, where they won in six different disciplines, demonstrating absolute dominance. In addition, the athletes have gold medals from the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow (free combination) and the 2021 Championships in Budapest, where they were the best in the combination, the highlight, and the team free routine. For their overall sporting achievements, Maryna and Vladyslava Alekseeva were awarded the Order of Princess Olga, Third Class, as well as the “For Labor and Victory” medal.

Context: Ukrainian sport amid uncertainty

The Alekseeva sisters’ statement about the “ambiguous working conditions in Ukraine” came against the backdrop of the systemic difficulties that Ukrainian sport has faced in recent years. The issue of funding, infrastructure, and the possibility of full-scale preparation remains one of the key concerns for athletes striving to remain competitive at the world level. Nevertheless, the very fact that the two-time world champions and Olympic medalists continue to train and are considering a return to the big stage testifies to the enduring potential of the Ukrainian synchronized swimming team and to the athletes’ personal motivation.