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Alexander Popov

Aquatic Sports

Alexander Popov, full name Aleksandr Vladimirovich Popov, is a Russian former competitive swimmer born November 16, 1971, in Lesnoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast, widely considered the greatest sprint freestyle swimmer in history. He won gold in both the 50 meter and 100 meter freestyle at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and repeated the double at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, becoming the only man to defend both sprint titles, and finished his Olympic career with four gold and five silver medals. He held the 100 meter freestyle world record for six years and the 50 meter freestyle world record for about eight years, and at age 31 won both sprint events again at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona.

Facts
Birth Year
1971 1
Birth Date
1971-11-16 1
Nationality
Russian 1
Career Highlight
Won Olympic gold in the 50 metre and 100 metre freestyle at both the 1992 and 1996 Games, the only man to defend both sprint titles. 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Alexander Popov
Wikipedia
  • Lead section, Olympic record
    the only male in Olympic games history to defend both titles
  • Lead section
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