Dr Valery Kleshnev spent ten years as a member of the USSR National Rowing team, where he won a gold medal at the junior World Championships in 1975, a silver Olympic medal in 1980 and a bronze at the World Championships in 1982.

After graduating in physical education in 1984, Valery was awarded a PhD in rowing biomechanics from the Saint-Petersberg Sport Institute, Russia, in 1991. In 1998 he was employed by the Australian Institute of Sport and moved to Canberra, where he worked with the world's best rowing coaches and crews.

In 2005 Valery took a position of National Biomechanics Lead at the English Institute of Sport and moved to Britain, and helped the British rowing team to win two gold and four other medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Since 2009, Valery has run his own company BioRow Ltd, carrying out research and development in rowing biomechanics. He now works with rowers and coaches from countries all over the world.

His clients won four gold and seven other medals at the 2012 London Olympics.