Elena Krawzow

Elena Krawzow (born 26 October 1993) is a blind German Paralympic swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle.^[1][2] She has macular degeneration, leaving her with only 3% vision.^[3]

Elena Krawzow

Personal information
Born	(1993-10-26) 26 October 1993 (age 31) Novo-Voskresenovka (Andas batyr), Kazakhstan
Home town	Berlin, Germany
Sport
Country	Germany
Sport	Paralympic swimming
Disability	Stargardt's disease
Disability class	S12/SB12/SM12
Club	Berliner Schwimmteam
Medal record Women's para swimming Representing  Germany Paralympic Games 2020 Tokyo 100 m breaststroke SB13 2024 Paris 100 m breaststroke SB12 2012 London 100 m breaststroke SB13 World Championships 2013 Montreal 100 m breaststroke SB13 2019 London 100 m breaststroke SB13 2023 Manchester 100 m breaststroke SB12 2022 Madeira 100 m breaststroke SB13 2013 Montreal 50 m freestyle S13 European Championships 2014 Eindhoven 100 m breaststroke SB13 2016 Funchal 100 m breaststroke SB13 2018 Dublin 50 m freestyle S12 2018 Dublin 100 m breaststroke SB13 2018 Dublin 200 m individual medley SM13 2014 Eindhoven 50 m freestyle S13 2014 Eindhoven 200 m individual medley SM13 2018 Dublin 100 m butterfly S12 2018 Dublin 100 m freestyle S12

Early life and career

Born in Novo-Voskresenovka, a village in southern Kazakhstan, Elena Krawzow emigrated with her German-Kazakhstani family, moving to Russia, where she was diagnosed with macular degeneration. Whilst in Russia, Krawzow attend a boarding school for disabled children, before resettling in Germany aged 11.^[3][4][5]

Krawzow won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke - SB13 at the 2012 London Paralympics^[3] before finishing fifth in the same event at Rio 2016.;^[6] she went on to win the gold medal in the same category at Tokyo 2020.^[7]

Personal life

In October 2020 Krawzow appeared topless on the front cover of the German edition of Playboy.^[3] She got engaged to her boyfriend Phillip in the aftermath of Tokyo 2020. In 2021 she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour.^[3]