Roman Polianskyi and the golden trifecta

On 29 August 2021, Roman Polianskyi became the Paralympic Champion in the PR1 men’s single sculls for a second consecutive time. This meant that he held the titles of reigning Paralympic, World and European Champion, a position that not many can claim. He was therefore a very deserving winner of the 2021 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year award.

Polianskyi is originally from a village near Makiiva in the Donetsk province of Ukraine. Having initially started in Para canoe, he moved to Odessa in spring 2014, the year of his first Para Rowing competition. That spring, he raced at the International Pararowing Regatta in Gavirate, Italy, and from then on, he was one to watch in the PR1 men’s single sculls.

His development as a Para rower was a fast one. He finished fourth at World Rowing Cup II in 2015, and then picked up a silver medal at World Rowing Cup III in 2016. It was Roman’s team-mate, Igor Bondar, that represented Ukraine at the 2015 World Rowing Championships, picking up a bronze medal and qualifying the boat for the 2016 Paralympic Games. By the start of the 2016 season, Polianskyi was on fine form. A surprise result came at the Gavirate International Para-Rowing Regatta, when Polianskyi captured gold ahead of Bondar, and at World Rowing Cup III in 2016, there was an epic battle between the two Ukrainians. With less than a second between them at the finish line, Polianskyi was selected to represent Ukraine at the Paralympic Games.

When the 2016 Paralympic Games came around, all eyes were on Polianskyi in this boat class. In the heats, he set a Paralympic Best time of 4:44.70, finishing ahead of the reigning Paralympic Champion, Cheng Huang of China, and gaining direct qualification to the A-final. In the final, Polianskyi upped his game once again, and broke his own Paralympic Best time, crossing the line in 4:39.56. He finished ahead of the reigning World Champion Erik Horrie of Australia, and Tom Aggar of Great Britain.

Polianskyi was awarded the Ukrainian Order of Merit (3rd class) by the President of Ukraine for his 2016 Paralympic victory.

A new challenge awaited not only Polianskyi, but all Para rowers in 2017 – the race distance would change from 1000m to 2000m, aligning Para rowing boat classes with other boat classes at the World Rowing Cups and Championships.

At the 2017 and 2018 World Rowing Championships, Australia’s Erik Horrie found some more speed. Polianskyi had to settle for silver both years, but the margins were always tight. In 2018, in Plovdiv Polianskyi finished less than half a second behind Horrie. Speaking after that race, Roman said; “Very good race! I need to work on my technical skills as everyone in the field has improved. I will now do my best to win next year,” with Horrie commenting, “That was a race! Painful and very fast. Roman is a very good rower, we always knew it would be a sprint finish. I take my hat off to him.”

Polianksyi took home his first World Rowing Champion title the following year, at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria, and qualified for the 2020 Paralympic Games. His first European Rowing Champion title came shortly after, at the 2020 European Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. He had now completed the golden trifecta.

At his second Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Roman displayed his dominance once again. The first games over 2000m, and in the humid Tokyo heat, he won by over 15 seconds, and his finish of 9:56.47 set a new Paralympic Best Time. He progressed straight to the A final, and on paper, it looked like a great race should be expected. When the medal race arrived, it was the newcomer Spaniard, Javier Munoz, who was the first to show, but Polianskyi soon got into his rhythm and was the first to the 500 marker. As the race developed, Polianskyi continued to move away from the pack, with an exciting battle for second place following behind him. He crossed the line in 9:48:78 to hold on to his title as Paralympic Champion.

Asked what keeps him motivated, Roman said; “To keep my motivations going, my main considerations are my loved ones and my relatives, first of all my wife. She is my motivation, my goal to keep winning. It is easier when you have your people nearby.” And, as for what’s next, Roman said, “I would love to hold another Paralympic Games medal in my hands, but I need to earn it and I will put all my efforts to do so.”

World Rowing sends its thoughts to Roman, his family and friends and the wider Ukrainian rowing family at this time of grave international crisis.

Read about the other winners of the 2021 World Rowing Awards here.