Ilya Cherapau learned to swim in Italy and began competitive swimming in Belarus at the age of 9.
At age 11, Ilya was the best under 13 backstroke and freestyle swimmer in Belarus and was asked to compete internationally. Ilya competed in many international and national swimming championships.
At age 16, Ilya was selected as one of the country’s top 3 male swimmers to attend the College of Olympic Reserve where he had the opportunity to study and train with the best athletes from around the country.
Ilya moved to Italy and went on to swim professionally there. He was the regional champion and one of the top in the country in Individual Medley.
Ilya swam for the University of Bristol and holds several records there.
Holds 13 years of coaching experience across various age groups and skill levels, including his time coaching with Harbour from 2015 to 2022. He is a certified Italian Level 2 instructor and an international lifeguard.