When Artur Chernenko arrived in New Zealand from Ukraine in 2022, competitive swimming felt out of reach. Growing up with a brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, and an intellectual disability, the pool had always been a place of joy - but never a place to compete. That changed when Artur found The Y's Onehunga and Lagoon pools in Auckland, and coaches who believed in what he could become.

In just ten months of para-swimming, Artur has competed in national-level competition and has his sights set on greater achievements. By training eleven sessions a week under the guidance of Coach Mohammed Asur at The Y North's Onehunga War Memorial Pool, his progress has been extraordinary. At the 2026 ASA Age Groups and Open Championships in March, competing in a 50-metre Olympic-standard pool for the very first time, Artur took gold in the 50m Butterfly with a personal best of 33.44 seconds. He also won 3rd place completing 50m of Freestyle in 30.95 seconds - what an achievement!

At the 2026 NZ Swimming Championships - competing alongside swimmers from New Zealand, Australia, and Japan - Artur entered eight individual events, placed in six of them and walked away with six personal bests. His 50m Butterfly time dropped to 32.82 seconds, finishing 4th in the final. His 50m Freestyle came in at 29.62 seconds, another personal best.

Behind the times on the clock is a community that made it possible. The Y North's coaching staff and pool managers at Onehunga War Memorial Pool have been beneficial to Artur's development going beyond training by believing in his potential. That support, alongside his own extraordinary discipline, has turned a love of water into a serious competitive journey.

With the Paralympics firmly in his sights, Artur's story is about far more than sport. It is about what becomes possible when the right environment, the right people, and the right determination meet - and about a young man who continues to prove, one personal best at a time, that he is only just beginning.