BELARUS’ PRECOCIOUS TALENT:
Yuliya Bichyk
4
in the world of rowing, Belarus has
become well-known for its top female
single sculler ekaterina Karsten and her
repeated victories. But Belarus is not
short in talent. its 2007 world
champions in the women’s pair,
yuliya Bichyk and Natallia helakh,
are proof of that.
Yuliya began to compete internationally
at an early age, and now at 25 is already in
her tenth year of racing at elite senior level.
Her first appearance at the World Rowing
Championships was in Cologne, Germany,
where she finished fifth in the women’s eight.
It was in 1998, two years after she had begun
to row, and she was only 15. One year later,
Yuliya won her first world title in the four, and
in 2000 she became a junior world champion
in the pair and raced her first Olympic final in
the eight.
A friend of her mother’s, former gymnast
Svetlana Zhikharevich, had recommended
that Yuliya, as a rather tall 13-year-old, take-up rowing. Svetlana Zhikharevich knew
rowing coach Uladzimir Sinelshchykau and
brought Yuliya to his group. Their coach-
athlete relationship is still producing results
today and Yuliya is now a coach herself since
graduating in Physical Culture and Sports
from Belarus State University a little over a
year ago.
After the 2000 Olympic Games, it seemed
as though Belarus had formed a top pair by
teaming Yuliya up with Olga Tratsevskaya.
During their preparation for the 2000
Olympic Games, the Belarusian eight had
been training in pairs and the strongest
combination was Yuliya and Olga. But their
partnership only lasted for a season. A back
injury put a definite end to Olga’s rowing
career following world silver in 2001.
A new partner had to be found for Yuliya, and
it was when rowing with Natallia, also >>
Yuliya Bichyk (b) and
Natallia Helakh (s) celebrate
after crossing the line first in the
Final of the 2007 Rowing World
Championships.
