[1] He is highly regarded as Russia's top medley swimmer in the 2000s, having won numerous national and junior European titles.

Berezutskiy made his own swimming history at the 2002 European Junior Championships in Linz, Austria, achieving a total of three gold medals.

First, he outlasted Hungary's László Cseh in a close race to set a junior European record of 4:19.81 in the 400 m individual medley.

[4][5] He challenged seven other swimmers on the final heat of five, including top medal favorite Michael Phelps of the United States.

[6][7] Four months after the Olympics, Berezutskiy earned a bronze medal in the same program at the 2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Vienna, Austria.