One Rad Sprint Mama: Inna Osypenko-Radomska

Born in a place where there was no water, it is one of her life’s little ironies that today, decorated Canoe Sprint veteran Inna Osypenko-Radomska says she has a strong affinity for fish.

“I feel like a fish in the water,” the Ukrainian paddler said with a hint of poetry. Graphically and quite literally illustrating her point, Inna also has an elaborate and colorful fish tattood on her left arm not to mention Olympic rings she got after winning Bronze in Athens.

As she talks to a small cadre of reporters in the Flash Mix zone during the early rounds of the K-1 500m division of these 2011 ICF World Sprint Championships, Inna holds her five-year-old daughter’s small toy fish in her hand. Inna explains she’s kept the colorful plastic toy with her in competitions ever since her daughter was born and believes it’s her lucky charm.

Perhaps the little fish has contributed to her still growing pile of medals. The 29-year-old has averaged an international medal a year since she began competing in the early 2000’s and has already earned a berth to her fourth Olympiad in London next year.
Inna says competing was much more of a struggle back when she first started competing. Her struggles paid off in two Olympic medals: Bronze in Athens in ‘04, Gold in Beijing in ’08. Adding to a fistful of World Championship medals is a freshly minted bronze in K-1 500m yesterday and another shot to add one more in the K-1 200m contest scheduled later today.

Last year, she was named Athlete of the Year by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
When it comes to competition, Inna there’s less struggle and more pure enjoyment for her at competitions now.

Part of the different frame of reference comes from the change of priorities motherhood inspired. Once upon a time, Inna recalls she thought canoe sprint was the most important thing in life. “Life is very different now,” she explained via a translator. “My outlook has changed. The most precious thing is my family, sport comes second.”

To illustrate her point, Inna said she felt “very, very good;  fantastic” about yesterdays Bronze. Like many others here this week, her goal was to paddle well enough to earn an Olympic berth so the fact she achieved that goal AND got a medal was that much sweeter.

Later today Inna hopes to collect more hardware in the K-1 200m.
But she is very sanguine about it if she doesn’t.

“The most important thing is to love what you do and laugh and just do your best. If you can do that, the mental and physical aspects of training and competing fall naturally and easily into place.”

Update: Inna earned another World Championship medal today, bronze in the K-1 200m final.