From cheering to death saddened. What Elena Semechin has experienced since her gold medal at the Paralympics is a roller coaster ride. The swimmer is now being honored for her successes. But away from the glittering limelight, chemotherapy and radiation await the 28-year-old.
It’s a high, one of many this year. A high after a blatant low blow: Elena Semechin is elected Parasportswoman of the year and thus rewarded for her gold medal in swimming at the Paralympics in Tokyo. “That is a great award,” says Semechin happily. She will probably also be honored for her perseverance, her unwavering optimism. Because it is hard to believe that Elena Semechin’s experiences fit into just under six months.
At the beginning of September, the 28-year-old completed her set of gold medals, after having won gold in the European Championship and World Cup, the Berliner swims over 100 meters chest to gold at the Paralympics. Her third Paralympics are the culmination of the career of the woman who is still called Krawzow. In an interview with ntv / RTL she said: “I’ve been with us for ten years and train hard every day to achieve my goal. Before that, I had really achieved everything: World Cup, European Championship, world records. I had everything. And the only one, what I was missing was actually that gold medal. When I realized that I had really won, such a burden fell off my shoulders. “
But instead of enjoying this success, they have a headache. What came out after an investigation in mid-October is a shock: a tumor in the head, an operation is inevitable. The woman, who only has two percent eyesight, can see outlines and silhouettes, announces the diagnosis in the social networks, receives tons of encouragement and wishes for recovery, it seems as if all of Germany is cheering for her.
“Most spontaneous wedding ever”
And her fans are also excited about another plan that the swimmer wants to realize before the operation: getting married. “I wanted to get married before the major operation because nobody knew how I would wake up afterwards. There were important centers next to the tumor, such as the personality center. And that’s why it was so important to me that I marry my loved one before that.”
The race against time begins: “It was the most spontaneous wedding ever, we got married on a Monday and didn’t even know that we could get married on Monday”. The registrar is postponing her evening for the couple, the 28-year-old and her partner Philipp Semechin, who is also her trainer, can be married. In the evening they celebrate in their favorite Italian restaurant. “I really enjoyed the moment because it was so important to me to get married. And then I was operated on the day after next.”
But chemo is necessary
The operation is going well, when Semechin wakes up, she quickly realizes that “I’m still the same Elena. I was just happy”. But the next setback has already occurred: Contrary to what was initially thought, Semechin now has to go to radiation and chemotherapy. “That’s bitter about the story. Personally, I didn’t expect that I would have any more therapy, but the doctors want to be sure that the tumor won’t come back again.” The tumor, assessed as benign, turns out to be more insidious than expected. “Unfortunately, the cells spread very quickly,” explains Semechin ntv / RTL. The upcoming therapy is necessary “so that it is absolutely certain that nothing remains in the brain that does not belong there.”
First of all, however, the joy and zest for action after the operation predominate. An abscess does form on the wound and antibiotics are necessary, but Semechin accepts the call from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Bellevue Palace. Just two days after her operation, she received the silver bay leaf, the highest German award for athletes.
The Semechin couple’s balancing act
It’s an honor for years of hard training. “Well, I have to admit, yes, it is annoying to go through life with a visual impairment, but I have no other choice,” said Semechin in an interview. She explains what effects her lack of eyesight has on her sport: “In the competition, it turns out that of course I don’t see the turnaround quite as early as possible. And learning the technique is also extremely difficult for me. For example, I have to do some movements first sometimes learn on land, somehow on the body, so that I can then implement it in the water at some point. ” One advantage is that the swimming lanes are always the same length. “But of course I’ve ripped my capsules, torn ligaments or broken my bones a number of times. It just belongs to it, because with 50 meters freestyle you don’t think about hitting carefully, but of course you do everything you can . “
More honors will follow in these weeks, where Semechin has good chances. After the parasport athlete of the year, for which she was honored on Saturday evening in the ZDF sports studio, she is also up for election as Berlin’s athlete of the year. Your husband could be voted coach of the year there, a very special constellation. “He is of course my trainer and you have to be able to clearly separate those,” said the swimmer. “He’s already strict, I would say, and of course he expects a lot of effort from his athletes. But I think I’m disciplined and I really give more than 100 percent of my training, that’s why it always works pretty well.” And at home? “Here he is a loving man who really cares for me in a touching way. For me he is a very, very great support even in this difficult situation. I am very happy that I do not have to go through this time alone and that I am there have someone by my side. ”
Elena Semechin: swimmer. Paralympics winner. Tumor patient. Para athlete of the year. Wife. Quite a lot for just under six months.