- Статьи
- Sport
- Short-track athlete Alena Krylova: who is she and how did the Ural athlete get to the Olympic Games
Short-track athlete Alena Krylova: who is she and how did the Ural athlete get to the Olympic Games
Alyona Krylova began to explore the ice arenas of Russia as a teenager, and by the age of 23 she had become one of the main hopes of the national short track. A native of Novouralsk, she went from the children's section in her hometown to the title of a two-time Russian champion in the all-around and an international master of sports. In 2026, the athlete will represent the country at the Olympic Games in Italy. Read more about the biography of Alena Krylova in the Izvestia article.
Childhood: Atomic city and the first steps on ice
Alyona Krylova was born on October 11, 2002 in Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk region, a closed city with a population of about 77 thousand people. Sports appeared in her life early: at the age of six, her parents brought the girl to the local Olympic reserve School, and she began training systematically at the age of 13, choosing a short track.
Under the guidance of the department's senior coach, Alexander Kuzovnikov, Krylova developed her sprinting potential and mastered the basic technique that allowed her to withstand high speeds and difficult turns, after which she began participating in regional and All-Russian competitions.
The first victories and entry to the national level
Krylova made rapid progress in youth sports, excelling at short distances. At the age of 13, she already participated in international competitions in the Czech Republic and Italy at distances of 500, 1000 and 1500 m. According to her, these performances were an important experience, even if they were not yet formally considered full-fledged international startups.
The turning point was the winter of 2018: a 15-year-old athlete won the Russian all-around championship among girls of the middle age group in Saransk and fulfilled the standard of the Master of sports of Russia. In the autumn of the same year, the official status of the master of sports was fixed by order, and in Novouralsk they started talking about the appearance of a federal-level athlete.
By the 2022/23 season, Krylova had firmly established herself among the strongest Russian short-track athletes, regularly rising to the podium of the Russian Cup stages. That year, she won the mixed relay at the second stage in St. Petersburg and became the best in the 500 m at the final stage in Rybinsk.
The real breakthrough came in the 2023/24 season, when the athlete actually became the leader of the women's national team. At individual stages of the National Cup, she won five gold medals and won the all-around at the Russian Championships in Kolomna, showing stability both at individual distances and in the full tournament.
The fight for the 2026 Olympics and neutral status
In July 2024, Krylova was awarded the title of Master of Sports of Russia of international class in speed skating. The 2024/25 season cemented her reputation as the "queen of the sprint": in Ufa, she won the Russian All-around Championship for the second time in a row, and at the national championships in St. Petersburg she won gold in the 500 and 1000 meters.
Under the conditions of international restrictions, the path to the 2026 Olympic Games was not easy. The qualification took place in four World Cup stages — two in Canada, one in Poland and one in the Netherlands.
According to Sport-Express, Krylova competed only at the 500 m distance according to the rules for neutral athletes and took 26th place in the overall standings with 1,078 points, becoming the best among Russian participants. This result secured the country's only women's place in the 500 m race.
In January 2026, the International Olympic Committee invited Krylova to compete at the Games in a neutral status, and the athlete accepted the offer. Alyona Krylova will perform at the Olympics on February 12 and 16.
The strongest starts and the crowning distances
Special attention is paid to Krylova's ability to prove herself at the main starts. So, at the II All-Russian Spartakiad of the strongest in Chelyabinsk, after recovering from a viral infection, she won silver in the 1000 m and gold in the 3000 m relay as part of the Sverdlovsk Region national team.
At the Russian Championships in December 2025 in St. Petersburg, Krylova won gold in the 500 m with a score of 43.691 seconds and added victory in the 1000 m, confirming her confidence in both the sprint and longer distances.
Off the ice, Alena Krylova prefers not to share her personal life and concentrates on training, competitions and the steady growth of athletic performance.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
