You Will Not Believe This Swimmer's Underwater Skateboarding Routine On TikTok

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Artistic swimmer Kristina Makushenko is no stranger to wowing the public in the pool, but this summer, her talents have charmed the TikTok crowd. A two-time gold medalist in the 2011 European Junior Championships, according to the Daily Mail, Makushenko turned to the TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic. She then became a social media sensation with her dazzling underwater videos, which include a now-viral skateboarding routine.

In the TikTok video, which has since amassed over 105,000 views, Makushenko is seen riding on a skateboard on the floor of a pool. As the clip continues, Makushenko does a few flips while holding onto her board, even riding upsidedown at one point as the wheels of the board skim the water's surface. And while some TikTokers likened Makushenko to a certain skating legend — "Tony Hawk who?" commented one follower — the 26-year-old still "can't believe" her sudden social media fame. "Every time my friends tell me their friends saw me from some famous social media pages. I can't believe how small the world is," said Makushenko in a recent interview with Newsweek.

Makushenko hails from Moscow and has been swimming since the age of 6. "I actually started doing regular swimming, and then three months later my coach recommended artistic swimming because she saw my natural flexibility and floating abilities," shared Makushenko with Newsweek. (Related: How I've Continued to Push My Limits Even After My Swimming Career Ended)

ICYDK, artistic swimming (formerly known professionally as synchronized swimming) combines fluid dance and gymnastic movements all while in the water, and yeah, it's as intense as it looks. Makushenko, who now lives in Miami, makes it look so seamless and effortless. She also told local Miami magazine, VoyageMIA, last year that she won four gold medals at her very first competition — just six months after her first swimming lesson. (Casual!)

Makushenko now teaches private lessons, works as a model, and racks up fans on social media with her unbelievable routines. But how did her account become a must-follow? As Makushenko recalled to Newsweek, after teaming with Nike Swimwear, she was asked by the company to post an underwater video. The rest, as they say, is history. "I thought I should do a couple more for fun and it all started from there," she told the outlet.

Whether showing off a dance routine set to "Peaches" by Justin Bieber or wearing sky-high heels while walking the catwalk underwater, Makushenko has continued to keep social media users entertained. She also recently caught the attention of Cardi B and Normani after posting an underwater choreographed clip set to their new summer single, "Wild Side," while wearing thigh-high platforms, no less.

"I'm always feeling I have to do only better and better because I'm a perfectionist in general and for me to like my own videos it's actually hard," said Makushenko to Newsweek. "I always see mistakes and think I could do better."

Of course, even if you aren't quite ready to strap on your favorite boots and tackle splits and flips underwater, hitting the pool is an incredible way to work every muscle in your body without putting pressure on your joints. Igor Porciuncula, the cofounder of Boot Camp H20 in Los Angeles, previously told Shape that water offers 12 times the resistance of air, which means that exercising in the pool fires up your heart rate and muscle fibers without any impact. (Related: The Best Pool Exercises for a Full-Body Workout)

In fact, whether you're working on an elaborate routine à la Makushenko, or are simply swimming laps, taking your workout to the water brings serious strength and cardio benefits. Along with giving a major boost to your endurance capacity, swimming forces you to use muscles you might rarely use otherwise, making for a challenging workout you'd be hard-pressed to find in the gym. (If you're a new swimmer, start here. These are the strokes you need to master before you try to kick it Makushenko-style.)