valērijs "val" kalmikovs (born march 4, 1973) is a latvian former swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke and individual medley events. he is a two-time olympian (1996 and 2000) and a top 16 finalist in the 200 m breaststroke on his olympic debut in atlanta (1996). he still holds a latvian record in the 200 m breaststroke (2:16.21) that stood for more than a decade. while studying in the united states, kalmikovs achieved a sixth-fastest of all time in the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2000 ncaa men's swimming and diving championships. he has also been named a three-time big-12 conference champion and a nine-time all-american, as a member of the university of nebraska swimming and diving team. since his sporting career ended in 2004, kalmikovs has extensively traveled across the united states and europe, working as a swimming coach.