SwimSwam Podcast: Vladimir Salnikov on How His Wife Coached Him to Olympic Gold

On the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

We sat down with Olympic icon and first man under 15:00 in the 1,500, Vladimir Salnikov. Salnikov’s career certainly hit some Olympic bumps in the road, with the US not competing in the 1980 Olympics, and then in his prime, Russia did not compete at the 1984 Games. However, in 1988 at the Seoul Games, after being leaving his longtime coach and being coached by his wife in the twilight of his career, Salnikov pulled off a big upset and captured gold in the 1500, 8 years after his 3-gold performance in 1980. Salnikov now reigns as the president of the Russian swimming federation.

Watch Salnikov’s 1988 Olympic Games 1500 free (or most of it, anyway) here:

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.

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Xman
3 years ago

Great interview – he does an excellent job articulating his 1980 and 1988 race.

The ’88 swim is on youtube, I’m not sure if it can be linked here.

JasonZajonc
Reply to  Xman
3 years ago

What a great swimmer. Made the 1500 fun! Heard about him when I was a kid and always thought he trained like Rocky out in the snow lifting weights and skiing to and practice.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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