World Championship medalist and European short course champion Anastasiia Kirpichnikova can officially represent France on the international stage, with World Aquatics approving her sporting citizenship change on Tuesday.
Kirpichnikova confirmed to SwimSwam that World Aquatics approved the change on June 6, allowing the Russian-born distance swimmer to compete at this summer’s World Championships under the French flag.
Kirpichnikova will represent France in the women’s 5km and 10km open water events at the World Championships, and will have the opportunity to add some pool events to her lineup later this month at the French Elite Championships.
Kirpichnikova initially qualified for the French team in open water in only the 5km event, having placed second at the Martinique Open, but added the 10km to her lineup (having finished third) after winner Lisa Pou opted to represent Monaco internationally.
Despite those performances, Kirpichnikova’s status for Worlds was still up in the air, with World Aquatics having indicated it was unlikely her paperwork would be completed in time.
However, everything has now been cleared, and the soon-to-be 23-year-old will provide the French team with a big boost in Fukuoka and ultimately Paris 2024.
Kirpichnikova has been living in France for four years while training under coach Philippe Lucas.
Kirpichnikova was the 2021 European SC champion in the women’s 400, 800 and 1500 free, and also won silver at the Long Course Euros that year (officially the 2020 Championships in Budapest) in the 800 and 1500 behind Simona Quadarella.
At those SC Euros, Kirpichnikova notably came within three-tenths of breaking the world record in the 1500 free (15:18.30).
At the Tokyo Olympic Games, Kirpichnikova was a finalist in both the 800 and 1500 free, placing eighth and seventh, respectively, after swimming significantly faster times in the prelims (that would’ve finished fourth and fifth in the final).
The French Elite Championships will run from June 11-16 in Rennes, France.
Great news for Nastia and welcome in the french team !! The french trials start on next Sunday in Rennes, Brittany. She’s already qualified in open water. She can make it in the pool too. In the 1500m free her PB is 15’50”22 at the Tokyo OG. A time she swam in the heats (5th). But she was ill and finished 7th in the final. The qualifiying time for Fukuoka is 16’13”94. By the way, I hope she’ll break the old french record held by Laure Manaudou (16’03”01 in 2006). She might qualify in the 800 too. The qualifying time is 8’29”24. She has swum 8’28”73 in last march in the Giant Open . Her PB is 8’18”’77 (Tokyo OG,… Read more »
Seeing those records be beaten would be cool but I don’t know how I feel about them being erased by someone who just became french, it’s kind of weird in a way
Pretty sad to see that.
While in general I’m not a fan of ‘country hopping’ to find a spot on an Olympic team (cf. Santo Condorelli), as a Russian native, I’m certainly sympathetic to her situation. How the various international sanctioning bodies will deal with Russia [and Belarus?] is anyone’s guess. I’m thinking it won’t be pretty and doubtfully, equitable.
MOTHER