Kharis Kharisovich Yunichev (; 7 August 1931 – 12 February 2006) was the first Soviet male swimmer to win an Olympic medal – at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

he finished third in the 200 m breaststroke event. The same year he set two European records. Yunichev was a versatile sportsman: he won three national titles, two in breaststroke swimming (1951 and 1956) and one in

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

(1952), and also competed nationally in

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

. In the 1950s he was serving in the Air Force and training in the Moscow Oblast. Since the 2002, regional swimming competitions are held in Sochi in his memory.

References

1931 births 2006 deaths Russian male breaststroke swimmers Olympic swimmers for the Soviet Union Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Soviet male breaststroke swimmers 20th-century Russian sportsmen {{Russia-swimming-bio-stub