1988 Olympic Games - Swimming - Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle - Vladimir Salnikov URS

Vladimir Salnikov was unbeaten in this race between 1977 and early 1986. He had broken the 15-minute barrier at the 1980 Olympics, and was still the only swimmer under the barrier, having bettered it four times, with three world records. But by 1988 he was far from the swimmer he had once been. He had placed fourth in this event at the 1986 Worlds, won by West Germany’s Rainer Henkel, and had not qualified for the final of the 1987 Europeans. The Soviet swim coaches did not choose him for the 1988 Olympic t