Vladykina competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. She won gold in the 100m Breaststroke, setting a new world record time. She also finished fourth in the 200m individual medley.[2]
She lost her left arm when she and some friends were in Thailand on holiday and their touring bus overturned; she also suffered the loss of her best friend in the accident. She resumed training a month after she was released from the hospital, and five months later she won the Beijing Paralympic final.[4]
