Flaim was number one on the Adelskalender, the all-time allround speed skating ranking, from 17 February 1988 to 21 March 1992 – a total of 1494 days, which is almost exactly equal to Eric Heiden's reign length of 1495 days.
In 1984, he had his highest ranking on the Adelskalender when he was third, allowing only his fellow countrymen Viktor Shasherin and Andrey Bobrov before him.