Kirill Prigoda Reflects on Experimentation in Non-Specialized Distances at Russian Swimming Championship

Russian swimmer **[Kirill Prigoda](https://www.championat.com/tags/24197-kirill-prigoda/)** shared his thoughts on the recent experiments involving non-specialized distances from **Yevgenia Chikunova** and **Yegor Kornev** at the 2025 Russian Short Course Swimming Championships held in Kazan.

«I regularly engage in experiments; those who follow my performances can see that I compete in various events, including individual medley and longer distances, even the 800 and 1500. However, at this championship, there’s a focus on the main distances, as there are specific standards to meet regardless of whether there are international competitions or not.

The fact that these athletes are incorporating extra heats into the main session is advantageous for them. Opportunities for pre-season races in the short course season are quite limited, which often poses a challenge in preparation. Therefore, it’s essential to add more competitions; otherwise, after just one or two starts, one has to push for maximum speed, which isn’t enough for thorough preparation.

I approach everything with enthusiasm. This is one of our first competitions after a break, and naturally, I prefer to focus on what I am familiar with to help me gain momentum. For instance, in Belarus, I plan to swim the 200 and 400 individual medley as well, which will help restore my competitive spirit and allow me to blend it with some unconventional training,» Prigoda’s words were reported by Championship correspondent Rustam Imamov.