Ganja, Azerbaijan, September 28, 2025
The second day of swimming competitions at the III CIS Games in Ganja brought new medalists and reshuffled the overall standings, with Azerbaijan rising to second place in the medal tally.
In the men’s 4x100m relay, Russia secured gold, Belarus took silver, and Kazakhstan claimed bronze. The women’s relay followed the same order of finish, with Russia again dominant.
Belarus celebrated a sprint victory as Anastasia Vasilenko captured gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, followed by compatriot Valeria Shilko with silver, and Russia’s Valeria Brazhnichenko taking bronze.
Belarus also struck gold in the men’s 50m breaststroke, where Vsevolod Sorokovik touched first. Russia’s Kirill Veremchuk won silver, while Uzbekistan’s Mukhammadismail Rakhmonov earned bronze.
Russia added more hardware in the 400m freestyle, with Valeria Brazhnichenko and Anastasia Chernyshova sweeping the top two spots, and Belarus’s Kseniya Mastovich finishing third. Azerbaijani swimmers Anastasia Gnusina and Maryam Javadova placed fifth and sixth respectively.
In the men’s 100m backstroke, Russia’s Dmitry Kravtsov claimed gold, while Belarus’s Mikita Apanasik and Kirill Banshevich rounded out the podium.
By the evening session, Azerbaijan had climbed to second place in the overall medal table with 5 gold, 17 silver, and 16 bronze medals. Russia remains the clear leader with 34 gold, 8 silver, and 7 bronze, while Belarus holds third with 4 gold, 13 silver, and 15 bronze.
Athletes from seven countries have now reached the podium. The Games will continue through October 8.
