Vladimir Salnikov

He was called "a monster in the waves." He broke the world record in swimming 12 times. He was an Olympic gold medalist in 1980 and 1988. He was the first man to swim 1500 meters in less than 15 minutes, and the first man to swim 400 meters in less than 4 minutes. His name is Vladimir Salnikov, and he is regarded as one of the greatest swimmers of all time.

Vladimir was born in 1960 in Leningrad, Russia. When he was seven years old, his mother took him to a swimming pool to join a swimming team. But after several practices he got a bad cold and had to quit. The next year, however, Vladimir decided he wanted to try it again. Since then, swimming has been a very important part of his life.

Swimming is a very tough sport. It requires not only physical strength but also a lot of moderation, willpower, and self-control. Imagine having to swim hundreds of meters over and over again, trying to be faster than others at the same time. Vladimir did it for many years before he achieved some outstanding results.