Belarusian Man at 82 Swims Across Bosphorus

A few years later, Viktor was already at the start of the legendary Bosphorus swim, and now, at 83, he is preparing for a completely new challenge – the International Minsk Triathlon, reports «Minskaya Prauda».

Viktor Nefyodov is a pensioner, an ordinary village resident, and by education, a radio engineer. He spent most of his professional life working as a designer and developing electronic computing machines, working until he was 66.

Nevertheless, there was always enough physical activity in his life. Viktor lives in a village near Minsk, where it is practically impossible to completely exclude physical labor. The house, plot, garden, and usual household chores require constant movement.

— I worked physically a lot, but I didn't engage in sports as such. When you live in a village, physical strength is constantly needed because there is always some work to do. I decided to truly get acquainted with sports at 79. It all started without grand plans. I just came to Minsk Sea, where a swim was taking place, and covered a distance of one kilometer.

— The first experience was so enjoyable that it didn't end with just one start. In total, I participated in swims on Minsk Sea four times. Then I wanted to try something completely different.

— The next challenge was a stair climb at the National Library of Belarus, organized by the Adventure Racing Federation. Participants had to overcome 591 steps, which in terms of exertion is roughly equivalent to climbing to the 30th floor of a typical residential building.

It was this event that unexpectedly became a turning point in Viktor's new sporting life.

During the race at the National Library, Dmitry Melekh, an Honored Master of Sports of international class, noticed the elderly participant. He approached Viktor, they started talking, and Dmitry later became his coach.

Павялічыць

Dmitry Melekh told Viktor about international competitions and at some point offered him a completely unexpected goal — to try swimming across the Bosphorus.

— When Dmitry suggested the Bosphorus to me, I thought I wouldn't manage it. There's a long distance and current, so it all seemed very difficult. However, at home, I decided to understand more about what this swim entailed and started reading information online. That's when I came across a fact that completely changed my attitude towards the offer.

It turned out that in 2022, a participant born in 1942 swam across the Bosphorus, becoming the oldest person at that start. And then, doubts unexpectedly turned into excitement. I thought that I would already be 82, and I became eager to become the oldest participant. That's how a real goal emerged.

For this goal, serious training was necessary. Preparation for the Bosphorus no longer resembled a simple hobby for swimming. In 2025, Viktor trained four times a week, gradually increasing the load and trying to keep up with much younger athletes. At the start, Viktor did not, after all, turn out to be the oldest participant. It turned out that there was someone older than him among the swimmers. Of course, there was a slight disappointment. Viktor expected that it would be a Belarusian who became the oldest participant in the swim, but he wasn't even going to refuse to start because of a lost record. The conditions that day turned out to be far from ideal.

Павялічыць

"I was chilled to the bone, but I made it across"

The Bosphorus cannot be compared to a pool lane, where the exact distance is known, the water has a comfortable temperature, and the athlete moves in predictable conditions. In open water, the result largely depends on the current, weather, and chosen trajectory.

On the day of the swim, Viktor encountered several difficulties at once. According to him, the current was very weak, so there was no relying on significant help from the water. In addition, the water was very cold.

— I was chilled to the bone then. The water was very cold, and the current turned out to be extremely weak. But I swam across and finished within the required time. I covered the Bosphorus in 1 hour 59 minutes and 33 seconds.

For an 82-year-old man who started doing sports only a few years ago, the very fact of completing such a distance looks very impressive. However, there is another number that Viktor can truly be proud of: in the Bosphorus, he managed to overtake 382 people.

After the Bosphorus, one might have decided that the main athletic goal had been achieved and now one could finally slow down a bit.

But for Viktor, the opposite happened. At 83, he will try himself in triathlon for the first time.

Moreover, the upcoming triathlon start could be special not only for Viktor himself. Together with Leonid Talkachov and Vladimir Sudinkov, they plan to create a relay team in which every participant is over 80 years old.

Viktor will swim one kilometer, 86-year-old Leonid will cover 45 kilometers on a bicycle, and Vladimir will run 10.5 kilometers.

Viktor Nefyodov has never participated in a triathlon before. Now his first start in this discipline is scheduled to take place at the International Minsk Triathlon.

Павялічыць

He will not have to complete all three stages independently. Viktor will be part of a relay team, but what makes it unusual is the age of its participants.

Viktor Nefyodov will be 83 years old. Leonid Talkachov — 86 years old. Vladimir Sudinkov — 80. They will divide the total distance among themselves, taking into account which discipline each feels more confident in.

Viktor, who has experience swimming across the Bosphorus, will take on the swimming leg and cover one kilometer. Leonid Talkachov is to cycle 45 kilometers, and Vladimir Sudinkov will finish the relay with a ten-kilometer run.

According to Viktor, a team of three participants over 80 years old could in itself become a unique story.

— Everyone says that this has never happened before. For three people over 80 years old to gather and do a triathlon relay, as far as we know, has not happened either in Belarus or in Europe.

It's particularly interesting that these three haven't even had a chance to meet in person yet. Leonid Talkachov and Vladimir Sudinkov live in Mogilev. Viktor says he has never met them at competitions before, even though he himself has participated in numerous events in recent years.

By the way, Viktor does not try to convince others that age only exists on a passport. On the contrary, he speaks quite openly about how the body changes and how much harder it becomes to maintain one's previous physical form.

— I have already weakened significantly. Before, the muscles in my legs were like pillars, but now they are more like matches. Therefore, a person needs to move. If a person stops moving, the body considers that what it doesn't use is no longer needed. The legs contain the largest muscles, and when muscle tissue diminishes, we lose a great deal along with it.

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