In his senior year in High School, he distinguished himself as a premier American distance swimmer winning his first US National Championship with a 4:16.88 in the 500-yard freestyle.

At the Moscow Olympics in 1980, Salnikov had become the first person to break the 15 minute barrier, and in his home country, adding considerable interest by the press with his performance.

O'Brien's subsequent win nine seconds slower than the previous Olympic winner in the event was anti-climatic, but referring to Salnikov's faster time and more historic finish, "I think, though, that if he’d have been in the same pool swimming right next to me, I could’ve given him a good race.”[1] O'Brien won the tight Olympic race in August despite being involved in a minor car accident, just two months earlier on June 30 on the day of the trials in Indianapolis, where he suffered bruises on both knees, a chipped tooth, and a bump to the head.

[5] In his early swimming career, he swam for Southern California's Mission Viejo Nadadores, one of the nations most outstanding programs, under Mark Schubert.

He did some work providing commentary for televised swimming competitions, including NBC’s 1992 Barcelona Olympic coverage.