Vlad Bukhov, The Most Efficient Swimmer in History

Vlad is, "a shark swimming behind dolphins."

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SWIM NERD
February 28, 2024

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Today we’ve got the 2024 50 Freestyle World Champion, Vlad Bukhov.

Vlad is a 21 year old Ukrainian living, training, and studying in Kiev. He discusses his journey from discovering his talent for sprinting at age 15 to winning gold at the World Championships last month, upsetting Cam McEvoy by just .01.

In Doha, Vlad went from 21.70 to 21.38, taking a huge leap, despite being behind half a body length behind at the breakout.

Bukhov shares details of his grueling training regimen and calm mental approach in the face of immense pressure. He offers a unique perspective on preparing for major competitions with rockets flying overhead. At any minute, sirens let him know to jump out of the pool and into the bomb shelter.

Fellow Ukrainian swimmer, world record holder, mentor, and friend Andrii Govorov joins to provide analysis of Vlad's lightning-fast back half and immense potential.

Andrii calls Vlad Bukhov, “the most efficient swimmer in history”.

Check out this race analysis, from Ricardo Peterson. If you don’t follow him, he’s a must follow.

🥇 21.44 s | 🇺🇦 @vladosbukhov
⏱️ Time at 15 m: 5.57 s
🏊‍♂️ Average stroke rate: 53.8 cycles/min
➡️ Average distance per cycle: 2.45 m

🥈21.45 | 🇦🇺 @cam_mcevoy
⏱️ Time at 15 m: 5.20 s
🏊‍♂️ Average stroke rate: 61.4 cycles/min
➡️ Average distance per cycle: 2.11 m

🥉21.53 | 🇬🇧 @benproudswim
⏱️ Time at 15 m: 5.10 s
🏊‍♂️ Average stroke rate: 63.6 cycles/min
➡️ Average distance per cycle: 2.01 m

Brett asks Vlad about…

  • his incredible flutter kick

  • only taking 32 strokes in the 50 Free (Cam & Ben both took 37)

  • his head-up head position

  • why he takes a breath in the 50

  • his weekly training schedule

  • how he went from 21.7 to 21.3

  • his mentality in the ready room

And much more. Enjoy!

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Time Stamps:

00:00 Hello from Kiev 01:30 How’d it feel to see him win the 50 Free? 02:45 Training in War Torn Ukraine 05:00 Vlad’s Journey to World Champion 09:10 Humble Celebration 10:15 Weekly Schedule 11:20 Pure Sprinter 14:00 How do you mentally prepare? 15:00 Playing Catch Up 16:30 Most Efficient Swimmer in History 19:55 Incredible Kick 21:20 Head Position 22:45 Swimming through the Wall 23:50 Inspirations 26:45 Vlad’s Coach 29:15 Becoming a Sprinter 30:15 Winning World Juniors 32:00 Gains in the Gym 35:00 Paris Expectations 36:30 World Record? 38:45 Resistance Training 39:30 Advice for Young Swimmers 40:30 Being in the Ready Room 42:30 Cam McEvoy 44:30 Can you see your competitors? 45:00 Core technique 46:15 Other Passions 47:45 Russians in Paris

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How’d you enjoy this interview with Vlad Bukhov & Andrii Govorov? Leave us a comment: