Tags: Swimmer.
Vladimir Valeryevich Salnikov (Russian: Владимир Валерьевич Сальников; born 21 May 1960) is a Russian former swimmer who competed for the Soviet Union and set 12 world records in the 400-meter 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle. Nicknamed a monster in the waves he was the first man to swim under fifteen minutes in the 1500-meter freestyle and also the first man to swim under eight minutes in the 800-meter freestyle.