Alyona Krylova will take part in the qualification for the 1000 m short track at the Olympics

On Saturday, February 14, athlete Alena Krylova will begin qualifying for the Olympic Games in Italy. The Russian woman will take part in the 1000 m short track competition at 22:59 Moscow time. She will represent Russia in a neutral status, without using national symbols.

In case of successful qualification, Krylova will compete in the 1000 m short track in the quarterfinals on February 16 at 13:00, followed by the semifinals at 13:55 and the final at 14:36 Moscow time.

Earlier, the short-track athlete failed to qualify for the 500 m race at the 2026 Olympic Games. She covered the distance in 1 minute, 6.9 seconds and arrived at the finish line last in her group, allowing a fall.

Alyona Krylova was born on October 11, 2002 in Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk region). She started training in short track at the Novouralsk Olympic Reserve Sports School under the guidance of senior specialist Alexander Kuzovnikov, who continued to train her at the adult level. Alexey Yelnyakov, the founder of the local short track school and Honored Coach of Russia, also participated in the athlete's training.

Short-track athlete Alena Krylova: who is she and how did the Ural athlete get to the Olympic Games

In children's and youth sports, the athlete progressed rapidly, standing out at short distances.

At the age of 16, Krylova won the Russian All-around championship and won silver in the 2000 m relay. She entered the adult arena in the 2022/23 season, immediately winning several awards at the stages of the Cup of Russia. The following season, he won the Russian Cup final and the national All-around championship. The key event was the Russian Championship within the framework of the Spartakiad of the Strongest, where the athlete took silver in the 1000 m and gold in the relay. And in the 2024/25 season, Krylova began to dominate the sprint distances: she won the stages of the Cup of Russia and won the National Cup in the 500 m race.

The athlete opened the 2025/26 season with two gold medals and a bronze in the relay at the Russian Cup, and then scored two victories at the national championships. Having received a neutral status, Krylova made her World Cup debut: in Montreal she took 21st and 22nd places, in Gdansk — 26th, in Dordrecht — 24th. These results were the best among the Russian participants and earned the athlete an Olympic license.