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Aleksandr Popov (swimmer)

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For the Russian ice hockey player, see Alexander Popov (ice hockey).
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Popov.

Alexander Popov
Personal information
Full nameАлекса́ндр Влади́мирович Попо́в
Alexander Vladimirovich Popov
Nickname(s)The Russian Rocket, Czar of Swimming,[1] King of Short Distance[2][3]
NationalityRussian
Born (1971-11-16) 16 November 1971 (age 53)
Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight87 kg (192 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
1989–2005
Backstroke
1979–1989
ClubDynamo Moscow
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 5 0
World Championships (LC) 6 4 1
World Championships (SC) 0 0 2
European Championships (LC) 21 3 2
European Championships (SC) 2 0 0
Total 33 12 5
Olympic Games
Representing the  Unified Team
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 4×100 m medley
Representing  Russia
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 100 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Representing  Russia
Gold medal – first place 1994 Rome 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1994 Rome 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Perth 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2003 Barcelona 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2003 Barcelona 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1994 Rome 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1994 Rome 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1998 Perth 50 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Perth 4×100 m freestyle
World Championships (SC)
Representing  Russia
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Moscow 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Moscow 4×100 m freestyle
European Championships (LC)
Representing  Soviet Union
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens 4×100 m medley
Representing  Russia
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sheffield 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Vienna 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1997 Seville 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1997 Seville 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1997 Seville 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1997 Seville 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2000 Helsinki 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2000 Helsinki 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2000 Helsinki 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2000 Helsinki 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2002 Berlin 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2004 Madrid 50 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1999 Istanbul 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1999 Istanbul 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2002 Berlin 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Istanbul 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Istanbul 4×100 m medley
European Championships (SC)
Representing  Soviet Union
Gold medal – first place 1991 Gelsenkirchen 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1991 Gelsenkirchen 4×50 m medley relay
Silver medal – second place 1991 Gelsenkirchen 4×50 m freestyle relay

Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Влади́мирович Попо́в, born 16 November 1971), better known as Alexander Popov, is a Russian former swimmer. Widely considered the greatest sprint swimmer in history, Popov won gold in the 50-metre and 100 m freestyle at the 1992 Olympics and repeated the feat at the 1996 Olympics, and is the only male in Olympic games history to defend both titles.[4] He held the world record in the 50 m for eight years, and the 100 m for six. In 2003, aged 31, he won 50 m and 100 m gold at the 2003 World Championships.

Swimming

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Popov began swimming at age 8 at the Children and Youth Sports School of Fakel Sports Complex in Lesnoy,[5][6] 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 backstroker 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 Gleb Petrov.[5] He later 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 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 2000, he beat the world record in the 50-metre freestyle in a time of 21.64 at Russia's Olympic Trials in Moscow. Popov, considered one of the most technically sound swimmers of all time, took just 31 strokes to set the world mark,[7] which would last nearly eight years.

Popov finished second in the 100 meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympics.

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. Moreover, he was the Flagbearer of Russia in the opening ceremony. Popov was the oldest competitor at the pool, and finished 9th in the men's 50 m and 18th in the 100 m freestyle.

He announced his retirement from the sport in January 2005.[8]

Post swimming

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Popov at the Kremlin in 2008

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 retained Touretski as a long-distance coach.

Alexander Popov during the 2008 Summer Olympics

Popov earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in sports coaching from the Russian Academy.

He is a spokesman for Omega SA alongside other swimmers such as Ian Thorpe.[9][10]

He appeared at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics after being elected a member of the IOC, presenting flowers to volunteers. He was named to the Evaluation Commission for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[11][12][13]

In 2009 he served as chairman of the RC Lokomotiv Moscow rugby league club.[14]

Since May 2009 he has been a member of the supervisory board of Adidas.[15]

Personal life

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In early 1997 he married Darya Shmeleva, a Russian Olympic swimmer he had dated since 1995. They have two sons, Vladimir (born 1997) and Anton (b. 2000), and a daughter, Mia (b. 22 December 2010).[16][17]

Popov is a friend of wrestler Aleksandr Karelin.

Controversy

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On 4 July 2019, the International Olympic Committee accused Alexander Popov, and eight other members of the IOC, of accepting bribes in order to secure their votes for Rio de Janeiro as host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The former governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral, contended in court that he paid $2 million to Lamine Diack, the former president of the International Association of Athletics Federation, which it was known as at the time, in order to secure votes. On 5 July 2019, Popov denied these allegations, citing that he did not take any money in return for his vote.[18]

Honors and awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "生活中的沙皇". sports.163.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  2. ^ "波波夫时代". sports.China.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  3. ^ 网易. "奥林匹克教科书——短距离自由泳之王不靠高科技(图)_网易新闻". news.163.com. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. ^ Lohn, John (2013). They Ruled the Pool: The 100 Greatest Swimmers in History. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 35.
  5. ^ a b "Фальстапт чемпиона". Itogi.ru. 2004. Archived from the original on 7 September 2005. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. ^ Лесной.РУ – Летопись нашего города – Город Лесной Archived 3 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Lesnoy.ru (7 June 2005). Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Alex Popov and the Power of Training the Way You Race". YourSwimLog.com. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Alexander Popov retires from professional swimming". OmegaWatches.com. 31 January 2005. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013.
  9. ^ "图文-游泳名将代言欧米茄 索普向波波夫赠送礼品_综合体育_NIKE新浪竞技风暴_新浪网". sports.Sina.com.cn. 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  10. ^ "泳坛三巨星 亮相欧米茄会所_钟表_奢华主义_YOKA时尚网". www.Yoka.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  11. ^ "IOC Announces 2016 Summer Games Evaluation Commission". GamesBids.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  12. ^ 泳坛名宿波波夫助力南京青奥会 Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 17 December 2016
  13. ^ "泳坛沙皇波波夫南京授课 透露冠军秘诀和水成朋友_综合体育_新浪竞技风暴_新浪网". sports.Sina.com.cn. 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  14. ^ Olympic Sevens claims its first league victim theroar.com.au, Harry Kimble, 12 December 2009, access-date=12 June 2017
  15. ^ "Aktien - WirtschaftsWoche Online". www.wiwo.de. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Александр Попов третий раз стал отцом!". www.AllSportInfo.ru. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Скелеты в шкафу Александра Попова". Sovsport.ru. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Alexander Popov Among IOC Members In $ For Rio 2016 Votes Allegations; Popov Says 'Not Me'". SwimmingWorld. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 26.08.1996 г. № 1262". Президент России (in Russian). Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 14.01.2002 г. № 37". Президент России (in Russian). Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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