Yelyzaveta Mereshko Ready to Race Idol Eleanor Simmonds

Sep 4, 2012; London, United Kingdom; Victory ceremony of the Women's 50m Freestyle S6 Mirjam de Koning-Peper (NED) with gold, Victoria Arlen (USA) with silver, Ellie Simmonds (GBR) with bronze during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Paul Cunningham-US PRESSWIRE

Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Mereshko is preparing to mount a challenge against Great Britain’s seven-time world champion Eleanor Simmonds at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships starting on July 13.

Twenty-two-year-old Mereshko, who currently holds the season’s fastest time in the women’s 400m freestyle S6, a title that Simmonds has won at every World Championships and Paralympic Games since 2008, credits her admiration for the British superstar as her inspiration:

“There are always idols in the sport, and the athletes who just started their sport career always dream to become the best one, trying to beat the results of talented athletes.

“People say: `A soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is a bad soldier’. I also want to be the best one in all events.”

Mereshko stormed to her first international titles at the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, winning the 50m and 100m freestyle S6 as well as two relay titles.

However, it was world record holder Simmonds who triumphed over 400m, also collecting victories in the 200m individual medley SM6 and 100m breaststroke SB6.

In April this year, the Ukrainian registered 5:26.00 in the 400m, whilst Simmonds’ season’s best is 5:27.37.

Mereshko has faith that her training and preparations could help her achieve some impressive results at the Worlds in Glasgow, Great Britain, between 13–19 July, including in Simmonds’ best event.

“I’ll do my best to be the first in this distance,” Mereshko said. “During the year, I was trying to improve my skills and was working hard. Thus I hope to show high results.

“We have been training for the whole year to get better. Hopefully we will honourably represent our country.”

The 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships will feature around 580 athletes from nearly 70 countries and will be one of the biggest qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Tickets are still available at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Glasgow2015 and all seven days of action will be shown live at Glasgow2015.com alongside live results.

Fans can also follow @IPCSwimming on Twitter and Facebook and Paralympics Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates and pictures.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworld.com.

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