The Lviv-based swimming club “Zhabkolapky”, which brings together war veterans, serving military personnel and civilians, delivered a strong performance at the 24-hour Crazy Challenge open-water swim near Kyiv. Over the course of a day, the club’s two teams covered a total of 107 km, swimming 56 km and 51 km respectively.
After returning to Lviv, club members met with Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and representatives of the Lviv City Council. The swimmers shared their impressions of the event, spoke about their preparation for the start and the specifics of taking part in long-distance swims.
Crazy Challenge was held in the format of a continuous relay: athletes took turns in the water over 24 hours. For Zhabkolapky, this was already their second appearance at this event. The first time, the swim took place in a pool in Kyiv, where six club members alternated on the course and together covered 62 km.
This year, the team also competed in Oceanman Kyiv’26, an open-water swimming event. There, 11 club members completed individual distances ranging from 2 to 12 km.
The club’s activities are supported by the Sports Office of the Lviv City Council as part of the Comprehensive Programme for the Development of Sport for Military Personnel, War Veterans and Adaptive Sport. Thanks to this support, the athletes are able to train free of charge at the refurbished SKA pool in Lviv.
“This is one of the few examples of a veterans’ sports club. We support it through the city programme and fully provide for the training process. We are very pleased that veterans are joining the training, progressing and delivering such results, including in open-water marathons,” said Anton Nikulin.
The Zhabkolapky swimming club continues to bring together veterans, military personnel and civilians who train side by side, prepare for races and regularly take part in open-water and pool swimming competitions.