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Seven years of competitive swimming, dozens of races, and 11 podium finishes in a single season.
Meet Sofia Fadeienkova, a student of the Dnipro Lyceum of Security and National-Patriotic Education named after Oleksandr Hostishchev of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Her seven-year journey in competitive swimming is a story of determination, discipline and a commitment to constant self-improvement.
But swimming was not where Sofia’s sporting journey began.
As a child, she spent 11 years studying choreography. However, as Sofia admits, dancing was never something she was particularly passionate about. What she really dreamed of was swimming.
For some time, she combined choreography with swimming before eventually choosing the sport she truly loved. Swimming gradually became much more than an extracurricular activity — it became her passion and an important part of her life.
Today, Sofia confidently competes across a wide range of distances and disciplines. Her favorites include:
Her favorite stroke is breaststroke, followed by butterfly and individual medley.
“I hope there are many more competitions, new distances and victories ahead,” Sofia says.
Her decision to study at the lyceum was also influenced by her passion for sport and her desire to keep developing.
“There are classes focused on law and physical education here, and I really enjoy both. I like that I can devote more time to training and develop not only as an athlete, but also as a person.”
The 2025–2026 sports season was particularly successful for Sofia. She earned 11 podium finishes across a number of swimming disciplines:
1st place — 400 m individual medley
1st place — 200 m breaststroke
1st place — 200 m butterfly
1st place — 100 m breaststroke
1st place — 50 m breaststroke
2nd place — 50 m butterfly
2nd place — 100 m butterfly
2nd place — 100 m breaststroke
2nd place — 200 m individual medley
3rd place — 800 m freestyle
3rd place — 400 m individual medley
But behind every medal there is much more than a result in a competition protocol.
There are early-morning training sessions, fatigue, pre-race nerves, mistakes that have to be analyzed, discipline, persistence and the willingness to keep moving forward. And, most importantly, there are people who remain by your side throughout the journey.
For Sofia, that support comes from her family, especially her mother. She supports her daughter, motivates her through difficult moments and celebrates every achievement along the way.
“I am very grateful to my family for their support and for believing in me,” Sofia says.
For Sofia, every medal is not a finish line. It is another reason to keep training, setting new goals and moving forward.
New competitions, new distances, new goals — and, we are sure, new victories — are still ahead.
We are proud of our lyceum students who prove that meaningful results come from a dream, hard work, discipline and faith in yourself.
