Denis Petrashov


Denis Petrashov is a Kyrgyz competitive swimmer who swam for the University of Louisville and was a three-time Olympic participant. He competed in the event at the 2016 Summer Olympics and both the Men's 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He made the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing seventh. Petrashov won the silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2018 Youth Olympics, and gold medals at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Israel in both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events.

Early life

Petrashov's hometown is Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. His father is former three-time Olympian and former breaststroke national record holder Yevgeny Petrashov.

Three-time Olympian, 2016-2024

Representing Kyrgyzstan, he competed in the Men's 200-meter breaststroke event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio where he finished 38th with a time of 2:16.57.
At the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he competed in both the Men's 100-meter breaststroke, where he swam a 1:00.23, finishing 27th overall, and setting a Kyrgyzstani national record, and in the 200-meter breaststroke where he finished 18th overall with a time of 2:10.07. As noted previously, his 200-meter time was a Kyrgyzstani national swimming record, which broke his previous record of 1:00.94 which he set at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.
Petrashov also made the 2024 Olympic team for Kyrgyzstan where he finished seventh in the 200-Meter breaststroke in his semifinal heat, recording a time of 2:10.19.

International swimming highlights

Petrashov won the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 10th Asian Age Group Swimming Championships 2019 in Bangalore, India. He won two silver medals. in men's 50 and 100 meters breaststroke.
Petrashov was a 2-time Asian Games finalist, and a Youth Olympics silver medalist.
Petrashov won gold medals at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Israel in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events.

University of Louisville

Petrashov attended the University of Louisville and competed for the Louisville Cardinals from around 2020-2024 under Head Coach Arthur Albiero. While swimming for Louisville in his first year of competition, Petrashov recorded times of 51.92 and 1:51.89 in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events. At the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, he was runner-up in the 200 breaststroke and seventh in the 100 breaststroke. He did not score at the 2022 NCAAs, after losing a swim-off for 16th in the 100 breaststroke, and not matching his ACC 200 breast time. In the 2022-23 season for Louisville, at the NCAA Championships, he placed third in the 100 breast, earning All-American honors with a time of 50.78 to set a new school record.