Alexander Popov (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov (also Alexander Popov); (born November 16, 1971) is a Russia
n former Olympic gold-winning swimmer
, widely regarded as one of the greatest sprint freestyle swimmers of all time.
, Sverdlovsk Oblast
(Russian: Лесной, Cвepдлoвcкaя Oблaсть), Popov began swimming at age 8 at the Children and Youth Sports School
of Fakel Sports Complex in Lesnoy
, at that time afraid of water. However, his father insisted on him taking swimming lessons in that sports school, and in his own words, he has "been stuck there ever since". Popov started out as a backstroke
r but switched to freestyle
when he joined Gennadi Touretski
's squad in 1990 on the initiative by the Head Coach of the USSR National Team Glep Petrov. Since then, he has moved from Russia
to Australia
to be with his coach.
Popov won the men's 50 m and 100 m freestyle in the Barcelona Olympics
in 1992, and repeated his victories in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
, becoming the first man to do so since Johnny "Tarzan" Weissmuller
. He presented Touretski with his 1996 Olympic gold medal from the 100 m freestyle. "I have a title and I'm on the paper, but, you know, Gennadi hasn't gotten anything from Atlanta or from Barcelona," Popov said. "But I know how much this particular medal means for him, is worth for him."
One month after the Atlanta Olympics, he was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife during a dispute with three Moscow
street vendors. The knife sliced his artery, grazed one of his kidneys and damaged the pleura, the membrane that encases the lungs. He had emergency surgery and spent three months in rehabilitation. At the 1997 European Championships in Seville
, Spain
, he successfully defended his 50 m and 100 m freestyle titles.
In the 2003 Barcelona World Championships
, Popov once again made a clean sweep of the men's 50 m and 100 m freestyle events, citing that Barcelona would always be special to him, for it was there that for him, everything first began. He announced his participation in the 2004 Athens Olympics
. However, being the oldest competitor at the pool, the gold medal eluded him, and he did not even manage to make it into the finals of both the men's 50 m and 100 m freestyle events.
Popov was elected a full member of the International Olympic Committee
in December 1999. He also represents the athletes on the IOC Sport for All Commission and was elected directly as one of seven athletes to the IOC Athletes Commission by the athletes participating in the 1996 Olympics. He was re-elected to the Athletes Commission at the 2000 Games and is now Honorary Secretary. He was awarded the 1996 Russian Medal of Honour for contributions to sport. He was also named Russian Athlete of the Year and European Sports Press Union Athlete of the Year in 1996.
In June 2003, he confirmed that he was permanently leaving Australia
in early 2004 to live in Solothurn
, Switzerland
. He said the move followed the offer of a business proposition in Switzerland, once he had retired from swimming. He plans to retain Touretski as a long-distance coach.
Popov has both a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Sports Coaching from the Russian Academy. He is currently married to a former Russian swimmer. He is also a spokesman for Omega. He is 2 m tall and weighs 87 kg.
Popov held the world record
for the long course men's 50 m freestyle with 21.64 s for almost 10 years, until it was broken by 0.08 s in 2008 by Australian Eamon Sullivan
.
He has recently appeared at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics after being elected a member of the IOC, presenting flowers to volunteers. He has been named to the Evaluation Commission for the 2016 Summer Olympics
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n former Olympic gold-winning swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, widely regarded as one of the greatest sprint freestyle swimmers of all time.
Career
Born in LesnoyLesnoy
Lesnoy , Lesnaya , or Lesnoye may refer to:*Lesnoy District, a district in Tver Oblast, Russia*Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast, a closed town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia...
, Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the Urals Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk. Population: -Geography:...
(Russian: Лесной, Cвepдлoвcкaя Oблaсть), Popov began swimming at age 8 at the Children and Youth Sports School
Children and Youth Sports School
Sports school is a type of educational institution for children that originated in the Soviet Union. Sports schools were the basis of the powerful system of physical culture and sports education of the USSR...
of Fakel Sports Complex in Lesnoy
Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast
Lesnoy is a closed town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located north of Yekaterinburg on the banks of the Tura River. Population: -History:...
, at that time afraid of water. However, his father insisted on him taking swimming lessons in that sports school, and in his own words, he has "been stuck there ever since". Popov started out as a backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
r but switched to freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
when he joined Gennadi Touretski
Gennadi Touretski
Gennadi Touretski is a Russian swimming coach, best known for training multiple-time Olympic gold medalists Alexander Popov & Michael Klim through the 90's to early 2000s at the Australian Institute of Sport...
's squad in 1990 on the initiative by the Head Coach of the USSR National Team Glep Petrov. Since then, he has moved from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to be with his coach.
Popov won the men's 50 m and 100 m freestyle in the Barcelona Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in 1992, and repeated his victories in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, becoming the first man to do so since Johnny "Tarzan" Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
. He presented Touretski with his 1996 Olympic gold medal from the 100 m freestyle. "I have a title and I'm on the paper, but, you know, Gennadi hasn't gotten anything from Atlanta or from Barcelona," Popov said. "But I know how much this particular medal means for him, is worth for him."
One month after the Atlanta Olympics, he was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife during a dispute with three Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
street vendors. The knife sliced his artery, grazed one of his kidneys and damaged the pleura, the membrane that encases the lungs. He had emergency surgery and spent three months in rehabilitation. At the 1997 European Championships in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he successfully defended his 50 m and 100 m freestyle titles.
In the 2003 Barcelona World Championships
2003 World Aquatics Championships
Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 until July 27, 2003....
, Popov once again made a clean sweep of the men's 50 m and 100 m freestyle events, citing that Barcelona would always be special to him, for it was there that for him, everything first began. He announced his participation in the 2004 Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. However, being the oldest competitor at the pool, the gold medal eluded him, and he did not even manage to make it into the finals of both the men's 50 m and 100 m freestyle events.
Popov was elected a full member of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
in December 1999. He also represents the athletes on the IOC Sport for All Commission and was elected directly as one of seven athletes to the IOC Athletes Commission by the athletes participating in the 1996 Olympics. He was re-elected to the Athletes Commission at the 2000 Games and is now Honorary Secretary. He was awarded the 1996 Russian Medal of Honour for contributions to sport. He was also named Russian Athlete of the Year and European Sports Press Union Athlete of the Year in 1996.
In June 2003, he confirmed that he was permanently leaving Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in early 2004 to live in Solothurn
Solothurn
The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He said the move followed the offer of a business proposition in Switzerland, once he had retired from swimming. He plans to retain Touretski as a long-distance coach.
Popov has both a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Sports Coaching from the Russian Academy. He is currently married to a former Russian swimmer. He is also a spokesman for Omega. He is 2 m tall and weighs 87 kg.
Popov held the world record
World record progression 50 metres freestyle
The first world record in the men's 50 metres freestyle in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1976...
for the long course men's 50 m freestyle with 21.64 s for almost 10 years, until it was broken by 0.08 s in 2008 by Australian Eamon Sullivan
Eamon Sullivan
Eamon Wade Sullivan is an Australian sprint swimmer.-Career :In April 2002 at the Australian Age Championships, Sullivan won the 50 m freestyle and came second in 100 m in his age group, and swam for Australia at Trans Tasman series with no dramatic result.In April 2003 at Brisbane in the Fisher &...
.
He has recently appeared at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics after being elected a member of the IOC, presenting flowers to volunteers. He has been named to the Evaluation Commission for the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
.
See also
- World record progression 50 metres freestyleWorld record progression 50 metres freestyleThe first world record in the men's 50 metres freestyle in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1976...
- World record progression 100 metres freestyleWorld record progression 100 metres freestyleThe first world record in the men's 100 metres freestyle in long course swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation in 1905...
- List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists