When Yurii Brel says he wants to try a new swim format, we know it will not be easy. But it will be interesting 😅
To us he is Yura: a service member from Sheptytskyi, a Zhabkolapky swimmer and someone who can swim 11 kilometres of breaststroke in a day, then start thinking about the next race.
Sport after injury
In April 2022, Yura was seriously injured during a combat mission near Popasna. After lengthy treatment and recovery, he continued his military service.
Sport became a bigger part of his life: sitting volleyball, rowing machines and swimming. Then came competitions. In 2024, Yura represented Ukraine at the United States Air Force and Marine Corps Trials in Las Vegas. He returned with awards in rowing, swimming and, with his team, sitting volleyball. In the pool he won bronze in the 50 m breaststroke and 50 m backstroke.
In January 2025, Yura took silver at the Lviv region winter swimming championship for veterans. He had already competed at 50, 100 and 200 metres. Something much longer was ahead.
Eleven kilometres of breaststroke
Our first pool Crazy Challenge team had six swimmers: four veterans and two civilians. The task was to keep a relay moving for 24 hours without stopping.
Together, Zhabkolapky swam 62.1 km. Yura spent 4 hours 40 minutes in the water and covered 11 km in breaststroke. Yes, all eleven kilometres 🐸
Then open-water season began. At Oceanman Kyiv 2026, Yura swam 5 km. At the summer Crazy Challenge in open water, he took turns swimming for both our teams, Zhabkolapky and Lapky Zhabky. His combined distance was 14 km.
At Freedom Splash, Yura completed another ten: 10 km in open water. We love having someone in the community who takes “shall we do one more swim?” as a perfectly serious suggestion.
What comes next?
“One race ends and I already want to know what comes next,” Yura said when talking about competitions.
He has named his next big goal: 12 hours of continuous swimming. He plans to attempt it in 2027.
We will be there: training, counting kilometres, cheering at the start and waiting at the finish. That is how Zhabkolapky works.
Keep swimming and don’t croak, Sedoy. There is plenty more water ahead 💚