Age: 23
Education: Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture
Profession: Architect and paratriathlon athlete
Did you know? She loves meditating and once gave up speaking and using her phone for three days in a row.
Alisa Kolpakchy didn’t find her path to the Paralympics easily. For four years, she was trying different sports, looking for the one that would motivate her to keep going as a professional athlete.
She first tried swimming, then moved to track-and-field athletics. Both were not what she was looking for. When she turned 18, someone suggested paratriathlon and Kolpakchy agreed to give it a try.
She immediately loved it and soon started achieving impressive results.
Kolpakchy started as a paratriathlon athlete in 2015 and was so promising that her coaches began preparing her to join the national team at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
She performed well in her first international championships, but her scores still weren’t enough for Kolpakchy to make it to the top 10 in the world’s ranking. She was 11th, hence not eligible for the Paralympics.
“I accepted this as it was, but, of course, the Paralympics was such a dream, and for some reason, I believed that I should be there in Rio,” Kolpakchy told the Kyiv Post.
Then the World Anti-Doping Agency accused Russian officials of covering up the massive use of drugs and blood doping among track-and-field athletes. Russia was banned from participating in both the Olympics and Paralympics in 2016.
This opened the doors for Kolpakchy.
“At first I didn’t believe it. I was happy, of course, to see that dreams come true. I really wanted to take part in that year’s Paralympics,” she said. “For an athlete, it’s a proof that you achieved something.”
Kolpakchy finished sixth, a result she takes pride in. The new goal, however, is to win a medal at the next Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Scheduled to be held in 2020, Paralympics was eventually postponed to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. This didn’t disappoint Kolpakchy.
“You have another year for preparation to become stronger, better, faster,” she said.
Paratriathlon changed her life, making her more confident.
“In 2016, I stopped wearing the prosthesis entirely. But before, it was very difficult. I used to feel uncomfortable, even with friends, but not anymore,” she said. “I accept myself and this makes others accept me.”
The Kyiv native is in her last year as an architecture student. After graduation, she wants to do fine arts, but only as a hobby. Her main passion remains sports.
