In Surface Finswimming, athletes use a monofin and a snorkel and are mostly swimming on the water surface. One of the biggest stars of this discipline is 24-year-old Olekseii Zakharov from Kiev, Ukraine. His most celebrated achievement is his 4-year tenure of the World Record (WR) over 400m, timed at 2 minutes 55.57 seconds.
He broke the WR in March 2021, and held it until 29th March this year, when at the TWG Series in Chengdu, the Hungarian Nandor Kiss brought the time down to 2.54.64. So revenge is Zakharov’s big goal at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China! Kiss and Zakharov will both race over 200 and 400 metre distances, and in the relays.
“My movements in the water resemble those of a dolphin”
Zakharov has been swimming since the age of 15, and with top-class coaching he has near-perfected his swimming style.
“My style in underwater swimming is not freestyle but more like dolphin swimming; all my movements in the water resemble those of a dolphin,” he explains.
Competitions are usually held in an Olympic-sized swimming pool – but also on open water.
“Competitions in the pool bring emotions where you come in and realize that a battle is about to begin; everyone wants to beat you, and you can’t show any emotions because everyone wants to break you, both mentally and physically,” says Zakharov. “But, of course, once you finish your distance and climb out of the pool, you no longer see your competitors as fierce rivals, but rather as friends, because you and that competitor are writing history together, and that’s pretty cool in its own way.”
“Open water competitions are, for me, more about the soul. Everything is much simpler there, with a relaxed atmosphere; the emotions are quite pleasant!”
“I can’t say that I personally love any particular distance; they’re all interesting in their own way,” continues Zakharov. “But I do prefer the 200 and 400m, as there are always debates about who is better, since these are the most spectacular and challenging distances and only the strongest wins.”
In 2023 Zakharov won World Championship gold in open water (150m) and followed this with World Championship silver in the pool last year, over 1500m.
A wild kid
“I was brought into swimming because I was a wild kid with constant problems, and to occupy my time I was taken to swimming classes. I was immediately introduced to the coach who still trains me today and prepares me for all competitions,” says Zakharov.
After a while, this coach decided to let him swim with the adults and more experienced athletes, and he really liked it. “My parents were surprised that I really enjoyed something, and were thrilled.”
“When I got home from my first visit to the training gym, I lay on the floor and told my mum that I was tired, to which her response was, ‘How can you be tired? What did you do that made you tired?’ I told her what I did in the gym, and after my story, she said, ‘What did you expect? That's how champions train.’ I was so happy to hear those words, as if I had become a champion that day.”
“I just wanted to win”
“From that day on, I started going to training every day, learning about various competitions (World Cups, World Championships, European Championships), and I wanted to participate in them,” continues Zakharov.
“But for my first competition, which was the 2015 European Championship, I didn't perform well, and I was told that the World Championship would be next year, and we would prepare for it. I didn't hesitate because, for me, it was just words; I didn't understand the level and scale of these competitions. I just wanted to win, and whether it was a World Cup or a World Championship didn't matter to me.”
And so again to Chengdu! And that world record …
The World Games in Chengdu: a new chance for Ukraine to win medals, both individual and relay. And a personal challenge for Zakharov – to prepare himself, both mentally and physically for his attempt to get the better of Nandor Kiss, after two defeats in TWG Series. What a battle that will be!
As for the WR … here, Zakharov has a clear mind on what can happen next. “That world record stood for exactly 4 years and 3 days, and it was broken in a race where I personally competed. I can say that I was proud of that achievement for all those 4 years and 3 days, and to this day I don’t feel like I’m not a record holder.”
“I still feel like I remain a WR holder, and because of that, I believe that sooner or later God will give me the strength and opportunity to set a new WR in the 400m. For now, I bow my head to Nandor Kiss, as the WR in this distance belongs to him.”