Khlebnikov first appeared at the sprint world championship in 1979 in an international competition. In the all-around competition, he finished fifth. A year later he was able to improve to fourth place. In the same year he took part in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid . There he was 15th over 500 meters and ninth over 1000 meters. Khlebnikov won his first international medal at the 1981 World Sprint Championships . There he reached silver in the all-around competition. At the 1982 World Cup , he improved to gold. In 1983 , a fall in the second race over 500 meters deprived him of his chances of winning another medal. At his second Winter Olympics in 1984 , Khlebnikov won silver over 1000 meters and 1500 meters. He also achieved second place in the same year at the Sprint World Championship .
Khlebnikov won three national championship titles in the course of his active career: 1983 and 1984 over 1000 meters and 1984 in the sprint all-around.
Soviet Union
