There are many strategies one can implement to make it work, but I have a hard time believing the bold part. The reason for that is fatigue. Fatigue may hinder one's productivity and be annoying, but is it not a fatal weakness for an athlete?
I didn't work when I was in college, but I did when I was getting my master's degree and not only did I had my class load as a full time student, I also had to worry about my research project, my thesis, my (remote) part-time job and my duties as a research assistant and a teacher. My part-time job was not as time consuming, but it was stressful and demanding, as was everything else on my plate back then. I think it can compare to what a full time student, working full time, is going through. I can proudly say I found my path and followed it, as you said, but you know what else happened? I was tired as f every single day. Not the normal kind of tired, but the deep, bone tired kind where you get dizzy and feel nauseous all the time. Back then I didn't have time to even breath, so of course I ended up really sick at one time. That doesn't really seem like the type of thing an elite athlete should be feeling/doing to get satisfactory results. When I think of an elite athlete, I think of peak physical performance and health and not the always tired to the bones sick student I was. So I don't think a working student is the same as a sport star at all. Most working students are probably feeling extremely tired (and stressed about living expenses) but to be a top athlete, I would think, you need to be healthy and in top form.
Like I said at the beginning, there are strategies athletes can implement to succeed, like taking less load per semester, moving around classes so they take the "easier" ones when they have less time, choosing the more flexible professors, taking classes that offer mixed learning alternatives, being very open about their situation and bring up the subject to their professors so they can make a plan to work around projects and exams. Also, being very careful about the schedule. If they're really sport stars, then they have obligations they need to attend, so their team needs to make sure an important event doesn't overlap with the final exam with the most difficult and inflexible professor ever. I'm assuming those kind of things are what the young college students are doing and it must be really difficult for them. I think they deserve a lot of credit for it.
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Congratulations to Yulia. 
