Elvira Vasilkova’s best year as a competitive swimmer was 1980. At that year’s Soviet Olympic trials, Vasilkova surprised everyone by winning the 100 breaststroke to make the Soviet Olympic team. At the Olympics Vasilkova won silver in the 100 breaststroke and bronze in the medley relay. The 1980 Olympics were her only major international tournament. Domestically, Vasilkova never won a Soviet title and she earned her only medal at the Soviet Championships, bronze in the 100 breaststroke, in 1979. Vasilkova later married fellow 1980 teammate Aleksandr Buchenkov and her nephew, Dan Izotov, won silver in the 4x200 free relay at the 2008 Olympics and bronze in the 4x100 free relay in 2012.
Personal Best: 100 m breaststroke – 1:10.41 (1980); 200 m breaststroke – 2:35.09 (1980).
Soviet Union
Belarus