Alexander Vladimirovich Popov, also spelt as Aleksandr Popov and in Russian: Александр Попов (born November 16, 1971) is a Russian former professional swimmer, one of the world's best swimmers of The 1990s. Swimming has been a sport at every modern Olympic Games. ... The 1992 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... The Mens 50 metres Freestyle event for the 1992 Summer Olympics was held in Barcelona, Spain. ... The Mens 100 metres freestyle event for the 1992 Summer Olympics was held in Barcelona, Spain. ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, United States. ... The finals of the Mens 50 metres Freestyle event for the 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 25, 1996. ... The finals of the Mens 100 metres Freestyle event for the 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 22, 1996. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... This article concentrates on human swimming. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Career

Born in Sverdlovsk, Popov began swimming at age 8, at that time afraid of water. However, his father insisted on him taking swimming lessons, 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. Since then, he has moved from Russia to Australia to be with his coach. Snow-covered statue of Sverdlov in Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburgs Church on the Blood built on the spot where the Tsar and his family were executed. ... Backstroke swimming (amateur competition, non-optimal style) Backstroke also sometimes called back crawl is one of the three swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. ... Freestyle is one of the official swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. However, it is technically not a style, as there are very few regulations about the way freestyle has to be swum. ...

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 got anything from Atlanta or from Barcelona," Popov said. "But I know how much this particular medal means for him, is worth for him." The 1992 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, United States. ... Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan in Tarzan and His Mate. ...

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 defended his 50 m and 100 m freestyle titles. "My soul wasn't damaged, my brain wasn't damaged, only my body." Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... The European Long Course Championships 1997 in swimming were held in Seville, Spain from Tuesday August 19 to Sunday August 24, in the 50m pool of the Piscina Centro Deportivo San Pablo. ... NO8DO (I was not abandoned) Location Coordinates : ( ) Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sevilla (Spanish) Spanish name Sevilla Founded 8th-9th century BC Postal code 41001-41080 Website http://www. ...

During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Popov came in second to Pieter van den Hoogenband in the men's 100 m freestyle. He finished 5th in the men's 50 m freestyle, dashing his dream to be the first man to win 3 consecutive olympic gold medals in the men's 50 m or the 100 m freestyle events. However, Popov accepted his defeat with the grace of a true champion. "It's not the end of the world," said Popov. "I can't win everything, I have to share." The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Pieter Cornelis Martijn van den Hoogenband (born March 14, 1978, in Maastricht, Limburg) is a Dutch swimmer and a triple Olympic champion. ...

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. 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 till July 27, 2003. ... The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were held in Athens, Greece, from August 13 to August 29, 2004. ...

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. Stamp The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece between 776 BC to 396 AD. Its membership is 203 National Olympic Committees. ...

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. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The city of   (French: Soleure, Italian: Soletta) is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. ...

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 Watches. He is 2 m tall and weighs 87 kg, and is well-known for his kindness and friendliness, as well as his good looks. Omega SA is a watch company based in Biel/Bienne Switzerland and is one of the more prestigious brands in timepieces. ...

As of 2007, Popov still holds the world record for the long course men's 50 m freestyle with 21.64 s.^[1] 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The first World Record in the Mens 50 metres Freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1976. ...

See also

• World record progression 50m freestyle
• World record progression 100m freestyle

The first World Record in the Mens 50 metres Freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1976. ... The first World Record in the Mens 100 metres Freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1905. ...

References