Mykolaiv diver Sereda has shared a glimpse into his preparations for competitions in a new blog post: training, jokes and life behind the scenes

Oleksii Sereda, a diver from Mykolaiv, has released a new vlog in which he shows a few days in the lives of the athletes as they prepare for the European Aquatics Championships.

In the video, posted on his YouTube channel, he shows his training sessions, recovery from injury, travel, diet, interactions with the team and moments from daily life.

«I’ve only got 10 days left to prepare for the European Championships. But there’s one little problem. I can’t dive,» said Oleksii Sereda at the start of the video.

According to the athlete, he strained his abdominal muscles before leaving for the training camp, so any physical exertion could have worsened his condition. At the same time, he couldn’t miss the championships, as he described them as the most important event of the season.

The video lasts about an hour. Oleksii Sereda begins with a short montage of highlights from the following days, and then shows the team’s preparations — from the first training session right through to the competition.

Which competition was Sereda preparing for?

The 2026 European Aquatics Championships took place in Paris from 31 July to 16 August. The continental championships are held every two years. This year, 74 sets of medals were up for grabs across five sports: swimming, open-water swimming, synchronised swimming, diving and high diving.

For Oleksii Sereda, the competition marked an important start to the season. In the feature, the athlete explains that he had planned to compete in several disciplines: individual diving, synchronised diving with Marko Hrytsenko, mixed synchronised diving with Kseniia Bailo, and the team event.

«I’ll have four dives, provided everything goes well with my abdominal muscles. And I really hope the pain in my abs will stop so I can prepare properly for the European Championships,» says the athlete.

Not just diving

The athlete shows what usually remains off-camera during competitions. Before the dives, the team warms up, trains in the gym, works on their fitness and practises individual elements. After that, the athletes head to the pool.

In the video, you can see dives, repetitions of specific elements and work on correcting mistakes. Oleksii Sereda also includes failed attempts in the video, showing that not everything goes right first time during training.

«Sometimes you turn up for training and can’t manage a single dive, whilst at other times, on the contrary, everything comes off very, very easily,» says Oleksii Sereda.

He has dedicated a separate section of the video to recovery after training sessions. After training, the athletes do physical exercises, stretch and prepare for the next session.

Humour, trips and team life

Oleksii Sereda’s vlog isn’t limited to the sporting side of things. The camera follows the athletes on their trips, during shared meals and when they’re relaxing.

He chats with his team-mates, jokes around with them and shows everyday situations. As a result, the video captures the athletes not only during training but also in their everyday lives — when they’re chatting, relaxing, eating or simply spending time together.

«If you think that between training sessions I just sleep and scroll through TikTok, then that’s usually the case. But there are days when I sit down and edit videos,» jokes Oleksii Sereda.

What awards has Sereda won?

The new vlog is particularly interesting to watch given the results the young man has achieved this season.

At the European Championships in Paris, the athlete won three medals. Together with Kseniia Bailo, he became European champion in the mixed synchronised 10-metre platform event. The Ukrainian pair scored 323.16 points, finishing ahead of competitors from Germany and Spain.

Oleksii Sereda won two further medals in the synchronised and team events. Together with Marko Hrytsenko, he took third place in the synchronised 10-metre platform diving. He also won a bronze medal in the mixed team event alongside Kseniia Bailo, Kyrylo Boliukh and Kseniia Bochek.

At the same championships, Oleksii Sereda also competed in the individual 10-metre platform event. He finished sixth in the final. According to the athlete, a mistake in one of his dives prevented him from finishing in the top three. However, overall, he gave a positive assessment of his performance at the championships.

During the same championships, European Aquatics recognised Oleksii Sereda for the second time as Europe’s best diver of 2025.

His new vlog offers a glimpse into a side of sporting life that viewers don’t usually see. Behind the medals and performances at international competitions lie daily training sessions, practising dives, physical exertion, recovery, fatigue, failed attempts and the everyday life of the team.