Two-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion swimmer Evgeny Rylov chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about competing for Energy Standard in the third season of International Swimming League (ISL), and he reflected on his experience at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where he won two gold medals and a silver medal.
Rylov specializes in both the freestyle and the backstroke. He is coached by Andrey Shishin.
Tokyo Olympic Games
This past summer, at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, Rylov won three Olympic medals, two of which were gold, in the men’s 100 meter and 200 meter backstroke races respectively. “After I won the 100 meter backstroke, I believed anything was possible,” Rylov said.
Rylov also won a silver medal as part of the men’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay race for the Russian team. “Then, I swam 1:45.26 and helped the Russian team win silver, and I had good confidence for the 200 meter backstroke race,” he said.
“My coach told me that when you win the Olympic Games, you become a man,” he said.
ISL Season 3 with Energy Standard
Rylov is happy to be back in the International Swimming League (ISL) Season 3 competing in Naples, Italy. “It is so amazing,” he said. “It has helped me progress swimming and to take the sport to the next level.”
He is swimming for the Energy Standard swimming team, with James Gibson, MBE, as the General Manager; moreover, Chad Le Clos and Sarah Sjöström as the co-captains of the team. “It is an interesting experience for me to work with James,” Rylov said. “I follow the program of Andrey Shishin, my home coach in Russia, and when I am with the team I continue my work and I join in with all of the team activities. It is nice to see a different British style of swimming.”
“Chad Le Clos is a positive man, and he is encouraging me to think about the next race,” he added.
Motivations
Regarding his daily motivations, he said, “After the Olympics, I am motivated by new challenges and new disciplines to work on in the future. In ISL, I want to try new styles such as the 100 meter butterfly.”
Rylov shared that he hopes to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “I am enjoying myself at the moment,” he said.
Favorite stroke in swimming
Rylov listed the “butterfly” as his personal favorite stroke in swimming. “My first progress was in the butterfly when I first started working with my coach,” he said. “That was the first stroke that I was good at.”
Technology
He noted that when his coach works with him on his technique, he uses video and his iPhone. “We use a lot of video for technique work,” he said.
For his fans and supporters, Rylov said, “Thank you.”
To learn more about two-time Olympic gold medalist and backstroke king Evgeny Rylov, follow him on Instagram.
