31 Facts About Vladislav Polyakov

Vladislav Vitalyevich Polyakov is a Kazakhstani swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.

Vladislav Polyakov earned a total of twelve All-American titles while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2003 to 2007.

Vladislav Polyakov was put in a national program for elite swimmers, and was forced to undergo a rigorous training that left him fatigued and mentally ill.

In June 1999, Vladislav Polyakov came to the United States under the guidance of his mother Galina, concerned about her son's lifetime goals.

Vladislav Polyakov resided in Florida with Goldenberg and family, who later became his legal guardians.

Vladislav Polyakov attended Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, graduating in 2002, and swam for the Coral Springs Swim Club under four-time Olympic coach Michael Lohberg.

In 2003, Vladislav Polyakov accepted an athletic scholarship at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he swam for the Alabama Crimson Tide swimming and diving team under head coach Arthur Albeiro.

At the 2007 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, during his senior year, Vladislav Polyakov claimed the 200 m breaststroke title in 1:52.71, the third fastest of all time in NCAA history, just missing out a 0.09-second record set by Brendan Hansen in 2003.

Vladislav Polyakov accumulated numerous honors as a student during his four-year stay at the university.

Vladislav Polyakov was a school's dean lister from 2002 to 2007, and was named Academic All-SEC four times.

In late spring of 2007, Vladislav Polyakov graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in marketing major in international business.

Vladislav Polyakov posted FINA A-standard entry times of 1:01.98 and 2:14.36 at the US National Championships in Orlando, Florida.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Vladislav Polyakov reached a historic milestone as the first swimmer from Kazakhstan to reach an Olympic final since the nation's independent debut in 1996.

Later that year, Vladislav Polyakov won two bronze medals at the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.

At the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Vladislav Polyakov finished eighth in the 200 m breaststroke with a time of 2:12.72.

Vladislav Polyakov competed in the 100 m breaststroke, but finished his semifinal run with the second-slowest time of 1:01.70.

At the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships in Shanghai, held just two weeks after the NCAA Championships, Vladislav Polyakov captured his first major international title in the 200 m breaststroke.

Vladislav Polyakov touched the wall first in 2:06.95, holding off Australia's top favorite Brenton Rickard by more than half a second.

When he made his official debut at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha later that year, Vladislav Polyakov competed in three individual events, including the 50 m breaststroke.

Vladislav Polyakov added two more bronze medals to his hardware from these Games, finishing third in the 100 m breaststroke, and in the 200 m breaststroke.

In early 2007, Vladislav Polyakov decided to skip from the World Championships to focus on his senior season for the Alabama Crimson Tide, handing his teammate Yevgeniy Ryzhkov a slot.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Vladislav Polyakov competed in two individual events with only four days in between.

Vladislav Polyakov achieved FINA A-standards of 1:01.43 and 2:12.29 at the Japan International Swim Meet in Chiba.

Four days later, in the 200 m breaststroke, Vladislav Polyakov posted a qualifying time of 2:10.83 to earn the eleventh spot in the prelims, qualifying for the semifinals.

At the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, Vladislav Polyakov failed to reach the top 16 in any of his individual events, finishing twentieth in the 50 m breaststroke, twenty-ninth in the 100 m breaststroke, and eighteenth in the 200 m breaststroke.

One month later, at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, Vladislav Polyakov finished seventh in the 100 m breaststroke with a time of 58.66, failing to reach the podium for the first time in his short-course swimming career.

At the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, Vladislav Polyakov competed again in three individual events as a lone male swimmer for Kazakhstan.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Vladislav Polyakov competed only in the 100 m breaststroke, because of a prior change in FINA's qualifying standard format.

Vladislav Polyakov failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed thirty-fourth overall on the first day of prelims.

Vladislav Polyakov ended his swimming career with a total of eight medals in international tournaments, and twelve All-American titles in his college career.

In 2021, Vladislav Polyakov joined the Auburn Tigers swimming and diving staff as the associate head coach.