Alexander Tkachev (swimmer)

Alexander Tkachev

Personal information
Full name	Aleksandr Tkachev
National team	Kyrgyzstan  Russia
Born	11 November 1972
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
Medal record Men's swimming Representing Russia World Championships (SC) 1995 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m medley Universiade 1995 Fukuoka 200 m breaststroke 1995 Fukuoka 100 m breaststroke 1997 Messina 100 m breaststroke

Aleksandr Tkachev (Russian: Александр Ткачев; born November 11, 1972) is a Russian-born Kyrgyz former swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.^[1] He collected a total of three medals, one gold and two silver, at the Universiade (1995 and 1997), and later represented his adopted nation Kyrgyzstan at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Tkachev established his swimming history, as a member of the Russian squad, at the 1995 Summer Universiade in Fukuoka, Japan, where he captured two swimming medals: a gold in the 200 m breaststroke (2:14.69), and silver in the 100 m breaststroke (1:03.38, narrowly lost to host nation's Akira Hayashi by more than half a second).^[2] On that same year, he helped the Russians capture a bronze medal in the 4×100 m medley relay at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Two years later, at the 1997 Summer Universiade in Messina, Italy, Tkachev earned his second career silver in the sprint breaststroke (1:02.77), handing an entire medal haul for Russia with a one–two finish, alongside Stanislav Lopukhov.^[3]

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Tkachev transferred his Russian citizenship status to compete for the Kyrgyzstan squad, swimming only in two events. He achieved a FINA B-standard entry time of 2:21.90 from the Russian National Championships in Moscow.^[4] In the 200 m breaststroke, Tkachev failed to reach the top 8 final, as he finished his semifinal run with a time of 2:16.90.^[5][6] Earlier in the prelims, he made a surprise packet with a fifteenth-place time of 2:15.63, a Kyrgyzstan record, from a small field of five swimmers in heat two.^[7] Three days later, Tkachev teamed up with fellow Russian imports Aleksandr Shilin, Konstantin Ushkov, and Sergey Ashihmin in the 4×100 m medley relay. Swimming the breaststroke leg in heat one, Tkachev recorded a split of 1:03.69, a slowest in the field, but a diverse Kyrgyzstan team settled for seventh place and nineteenth overall in a final time of 3:46.70.^[8]

References

1. "Alexander Tkachev". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
2. "Universiade '95". Swim News Online. 23–29 August 1995. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
3. "1997 World University Games (Messina, Italy): Men's 100m Breaststroke Final". USA Swimming. 28 August 1997. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
4. "Swimming – Men's 200m Breaststroke Startlist (Heat 2)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
5. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinal 2" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 248. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
6. "Wide-open race in the men's 100 free". Canoe.ca. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
7. Whitten, Phillip (19 September 2000). "Olympic Day 4 Prelims". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
8. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 1" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 346. Retrieved 23 April 2013.