Alexander Popov (swimmer): personal life (wife, children). Swimmer Alexander Popov Alexander Popov swimmer biography

They say that this is exactly what Sasha Popov answered when his father suggested that he quit swimming training: at some point they began to interfere with his studies at school. And it all started simply with classes in the section "for health". Like thousands of other parents, Sasha's parents took him on a swim so that a boy from the small town of Sverdlovsk-45 would do something. And they chose his occupation for life.

Sverdlovsk-45 - Volgograd

Alexander was born in one of the closed Soviet cities in 1971. It was here that the young athlete won his first victories, but his heyday is associated with another city - Volgograd. Popov entered the local University and continued swimming: the Volgograd school is well known for its achievements. It was here that Alexander began classes with a coach, with whom his entire sports career is connected: Gennady Turetsky. At one time he himself was considered a promising swimmer, but he achieved real success precisely as a mentor. Turetsky suggested that Alexander, who was swimming on his back, switch to freestyle, and from that moment we can talk about the athlete's real breakthrough.

The first European Championship, to which Alexander Popov went, was held in Athens in 1991. The athlete was then only 20 years old, and he brought three gold medals at once. In total, during his career, Alexander became the European champion 21 times!

Olympic champion

It is very honorable to be the Olympic champion of Europe, but the goal of any athlete is to win the Olympics. The first Olympiad of Alexander Popov was held in 1992 in Barcelona, ​​and from there he returned with four medals - two gold for individual victories and two silver for performing in relay races. It was then that Popov's character really manifested itself: at a distance of 100 meters in freestyle, he was sixth in the middle, but he was able to snatch a victory.

After that, the Russian swimmer moved to Australia, where Gennady Turetsky also moved: Popov could not imagine training with another specialist. He won new victories at the World and European Championships, but his goal was to participate in the next Olympics - in Atlanta.

Unconditional leader

In 1996, Alexander Popov came to the USA as a real leader of world swimming. But this did not mean that he had no competitors: the outstanding American swimmer Gary Hall approached the home Olympics in great shape. Hall was seriously counting on victory, and the audience was waiting for an unprecedented confrontation on the track.

And it worked. It seemed that everything was in favor of Hall - both his excellent results in preliminary heats (he overtook Popov), and his really excellent readiness, and the home Olympics, in which he was supported by the public. The then President of the United States, Bill Clinton, came to the final 100m swim, they say that he was the one who was supposed to present the winner with a medal. In numerous interviews, Hall did not hide his plans to defeat the Russian swimmer, and all this, of course, put pressure on Popov. But they could not break him.

He won his favorite 100-meter race, and later presented a medal for it to his coach as a token of gratitude. He also won the 50 m swim, again becoming a two-time Olympic champion. Now Alexander had four Olympic medals of the highest standard, as well as four silver medals for the relay.

Injury

1996 was not just a year of victories for Alexander, but also a time of trials. It was then that he was seriously injured in a street fight: while seeing off the girls he knew with his friend in the evening, Alexander could not ignore the insulting phrase that the seller of a commercial tent threw on the street. A scuffle began, in which Aleksandr Popov was injured - stabbed.

An operation was needed: the knife touched the kidney and lung. However, the incision of the muscles, which required surgical intervention, would put an end to further sports: it is very difficult to restore the cut muscle. And the surgeon did the seemingly impossible: during the operation, he cut the muscle not across, but along, keeping its mobility. Thanks to this, Alexander Popov, after being discharged from the hospital, was able to continue training, although few believed that he would be able to recover.

First again

But he could - otherwise he would not have been the Alexander, who was simply called the Tsar in the world of swimming. After being wounded, Popov won several more World and European Championships, and was also able to go to the third Olympics in Sydney. There he did not win gold, but became the second at a distance of 100 m after the Dutchman Peter van den Hohenband. Was it a tragedy for him? Perhaps not, because otherwise he would not have been able to say this to reporters: “I have enough gold medals. Perhaps now I will start collecting silver. ".

Is Popov's time over? Many thought so, but in 2003, after three whole years after the Olympic defeat, Popov three times ascended the highest step of the podium in the world championship in Barcelona. And also managed to set a world record at a distance of 50 m.

Alexander became famous also because he never used a swimming suit: they just appeared when Popov's career was at its peak. The suits allegedly helped reduce water resistance and increase speed over distance. Indeed, sometimes hundredths of a second bring victory or defeat. Alexander almost always performed in ordinary swimming trunks and did not even wear a hat. "It is not a suit that is floating, a man is floating."- he said.

Alexander left the sport after the Olympics in Athens, where he was left without medals. But is it important? As Popov himself told reporters, he wanted to leave in the same place where he entered big sports - in the capital of Greece. And he did it.

Life after sports

“Even Olympic gold medals interest me as a kind of springboard. They provide an opportunity to rise to a higher quality standard of living, get an interesting social circle, and acquire a wide variety of acquaintances. Accordingly, there is a wide choice of further activities ”.

It seemed that the question of what to do after leaving the big sport was not in front of Alexander. He knows the world of sports "from the inside" better than many people, speaks excellent English, communicates easily and is ready to defend the interests of athletes. That is why Popov is an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee, a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, a member of the Presidential Council for Physical Culture and Sports, a member of the Supervisory Board of the All-Russian Swimming Federation. He can often be seen at major international competitions and sporting events, and he takes an active part in their organization and conduct.

Alexander is happily married to the swimmer Daria Shmeleva. They have three children - two sons and a daughter. Does Alexander have time to swim, at least for his own pleasure? He himself answers this question very simply. : "Rarely. Work fascinates me much more. "

Our country is rich in natural resources, but it is customary to call a national treasure not only minerals. First of all, these are people, heroes of their Fatherland. The latter can rightfully be attributed to the legendary swimmer Alexander Popov.

Popov Alexander Vladimirovich

Born on 11/16/1971

Achievements:

• Four-time Olympic champion (Barcelona 1992 - 50 and 100 meters freestyle, Atlanta 1996 - 50 and 100 meters freestyle).
• Five-time Olympic silver medalist (Barcelona 1992 - relay 4 × 100 meters freestyle and combined styles, Atlanta 1996 - relay 4 × 100 meters freestyle and combined styles, Sydney 2000 - 100 meters freestyle).
• Six-time world champion (Rome 1994 - 50 and 100 meters freestyle, Perth 1998 - 100 meters freestyle, Barcelona 2003 - 50 and 100 meters freestyle, relay 4 × 100 meters freestyle).
• Four-time silver medalist of the World Championships (Rome 1994 - relay 4 × 100 meters in freestyle and combined styles, Perth 1998 - 50 meters freestyle, Barcelona 2003 - relay 4 × 100 meters in combined style).
• Bronze medalist of the 1998 World Championship in the 4 × 100 meters freestyle relay.
• 21-time European champion.

Through fear to success

Born in a small town in the Sverdlovsk region, the future four-time Olympic champion in childhood, oddly enough, could not and was afraid to swim. It was the fear of water that pushed Sasha's parents to give him to the pool. At first, the boy simply swam, strengthening his health, but soon he was carried away by swimming as a sport, and Popov began to compete, winning the first medals.

At the age of fourteen, Popov becomes the champion of Russia among juniors and goes to Volgograd - there are more opportunities for developing his career. For a long time, Alexander swims on his back, but he cannot achieve much success. Everything changed, how Gennady Turetsky began to work with Popov. He suggested that the young swimmer retrain from the back to freestyle, arguing this with Popov's suitable anthropometric data for the crawl.

Olympic legend

As Turetsky looked into the water - the transition to freestyle opened the way for the young swimmer to success. For the first time, Popov showed his ambitions in Athens in 1991, becoming the European champion in the 100-meter race and in two relay races 4 × 100 meters - freestyle and combined. Meanwhile, the mighty Soviet Union had collapsed, the country was in an openly disassembled state, and the Barcelona Olympics were approaching.

Our athletes went to Spain under the flag of the United Team and performed brilliantly. Despite the incomprehensible status of the national team, the results in most disciplines were shown outstanding. One of the main creators of success was 20-year-old Alexander Popov. Having won two gold medals in the 50 and 100 meters freestyle, the newly minted Olympian led our team to two silver medals in the 4 × 100 meters freestyle and combined relay races.

Popov instantly becomes a hero of Russia and a world celebrity. From now on, Alexander is the favorite of all heats at the start of which he goes. In 1993, he became a four-time European champion - twice in individual heats and twice in relay races. Popov also conducts his first world championship in Rome with brilliance, leaving no one a chance at his distances. Plus, his efforts lead to two silver relay awards.

Having repeated the success of two years ago in Vienna at the 1995 European Championships and becoming a four-time European champion, Popov is preparing for the Atlanta Olympics. However, this time Alexander was not an unconditional favorite - the American Gary Hall, who came up to the final heats in excellent shape, challenged our champion. The readiness of the American is evidenced by the fact that US President Clinton came to the final of the 50-meter freestyle. The stands were ready to explode with applause, but they had to applaud another - Popov swam faster and became the champion.

A similar result was recorded in the 100-meter race. With this victory, Popov inscribed his name in history - he became the first swimmer to become a champion in both freestyle sprint distances at two Olympics in a row. To this day, no one has managed to repeat this achievement!

But that was not all - Popov wins two silver medals already on duty for himself in the freestyle and combined relay races. Despite all his efforts and the speed of our other champion Denis Pankratov, it was still not possible to swim to gold - the American four were devoid of weaknesses, unlike our relay.

Assassination attempt and return to sport

Popov returned home a well-deserved triumphant, but not for everyone. Unfortunately, there are people in the world for whom nothing is sacred. Walking through the evening Moscow in the company of friends, Popov heard an insult to his girlfriend, who later became his wife. Of course, Alexander could not pass by. But hooliganism and meanness are not associated with honor and conscience - Popov was stabbed in the torso and stabbed in the back of the head.

Having received severe damage to his lungs and kidneys, Alexander was taken to the hospital, where he underwent an operation. The doctor who operated on the champion did everything not to damage the muscles, leaving Popov a chance to continue his career.

After leaving the hospital, Alexander was baptized, married and returned to the pool. Together with his coach Gennady Turetsky, he actually restarted his career. Sevilla-1997 was supposed to show whether the real Popov returned to sailing. The result is four gold awards. It is clear to everyone: Popov is back in the ranks and will prepare for the Sydney Olympics.

Popov began to probe the Australian water in 1998, at the World Championships in Perth. In fact, he performed at home - Alexander moved to Australia for permanent residence after the Barcelona Olympics, following his coach. The sharpness of his performance was also added by the fact that the Australian swimmer Michael Klim, whose coach was also Gennady Turetsky, was to become Popov's main rival.

As well as two years earlier, in Atlanta, in spite of everything, Popov is the first to touch the side, once again confirming his dominance at the most prestigious distance. In Perth, Alexander received a special cup from the International Swimming Federation, which recognized our compatriot as the swimmer of the decade. However, not everything went smoothly at that championship - for the first time in a personal swim, Popov did not become a champion. It happened at fifty dollars.

Nevertheless, Popov is recognized as the favorite of the Sydney Olympics. Even the silver and bronze awards in Istanbul 1999 cannot shake this status, especially since a year later, in Helsinki, Popov again takes the whole set of European gold medals. Meanwhile, Dutchman Peter van den Hoogenband is gaining momentum, finishing fourth in both sprint disciplines in Atlanta.

How many times has Popov won not thanks to, but in spite of what sometimes it seemed that Alexander should touch the nightstand at the start, as the rivals were already suppressed. A swim of 100 meters could introduce Alexander into the status of the first swimmer in history, becoming a three-time Olympic champion in the most prestigious swimming distance. Popov swam well, confidently, but that evening the hero was not destined to become him, but Hugenband, who, moreover, won and at a distance twice as long, sensationally defeating the Australian. The chance to rehabilitate remained for another 50 meters, but in this swim Alexander was not like himself, having touched the side with the sixth. This was the first swim in which Popov did not win a medal.

Swan barcelona song

The experts decided that this was the end. But Popov was of a different opinion. He missed the 2001 World Championship, a year later, at the European Championship, he was content with only gold in the combined relay.

It would seem that nothing portended the return of great victories, but Popov returned again. As in 1992, Barcelona became happy for him. Alexander in a brilliant manner beats the favorite - Hugenband - at the 100-meter race, becoming her three-time triumphant at the world championships. At 50 meters Popov makes a golden double, proving that the first success was natural.

Another important event happened in Barcelona - for the first time at the World Championships, Popov becomes the winner in the 4 × 100 meters freestyle relay. This time, the teammates did not let their leader down, who confidently swam his last stage. He was good in the combined relay, but, as usual, our team could not put up an equivalent four, as a result - the second place.

This is how Popov actually entered the same water for the third time and began to prepare for his fourth Olympics. Alexander arrived in Athens in the status of a shadow favorite - after all, the Dutch rival is younger. It is not known what happened, but the pale champion shadow of Popov was floating in Greece. As it turned out later, there was a mistake in preparing for the Olympic Games. Alas, the champion's point was set a year earlier, in Barcelona, ​​a city that became the starting point in a series of grandiose victories of our swimmer at the Olympics and World Championships.

Great champion

Alexander Popov is the brightest phenomenon of world sports at the end of the twentieth century, a man who glorified Russia in such a difficult historical period for her. Popov is the best freestyle sprinter in the history of world swimming and the undisputed # 1 swimmer in Russia.

And he is also a man whose character repeatedly forced rivals to bite their elbows after the finish, because they, like many specialists, did not take into account one thing - one cannot underestimate the Champion's heart, which was and remains for everyone the legendary swimmer Alexander Vladimirovich Popov.

This man was remembered by everyone not only as the greatest swimmer who defended Russia at the Olympic Games, but also as a courageous fighter for life, who did what not everyone can do. After a serious injury, when even the doctors did not hope for a full recovery, the world champion Alexander Popov was able to overcome his illness and return to the world of big sports.

Swimmer biography

The biography of Alexander Popov, a famous swimming champion, began in a closed town near Sverdlovsk, where he was born on a gloomy autumn evening in 1971. The parents were worried about the baby's poor health, devoted a lot of time to his physical education and did not even suspect that they were paving the way for him to a difficult sports victory. As soon as he went to first grade, they decided to continue the boy's sports development with the help of swimming.

When the parents took Sasha to the pool for the first time, he was scared of the water, and it took a long time for him to fall in love with her so much that he had to be forcibly sent home after training. When the boy was only ten years old, he won the first competition in his life: he won at a distance of 25 meters.

His diligence was appreciated by coach Galina Vitman, who saw great potential in him. She didn't know how dads and mothers almost forcibly forced little children to climb into the pool they hated just because their parents wanted it.

And Sasha was so carried away by swimming that he dropped out of school, unwanted marks appeared in his diary. Parents were worried about his attitude to studies, asked to quit classes if they interfere with his studies. But the son firmly said that he would not give up swimming. The coach had to strictly talk to him about stamina, about the strength of character of a real athlete. There was no doubt that swimming took possession of all the thoughts and feelings of the child. However, at the age of 12, he still had to choose: either serious swimming, or study, and he chose the first.

After school, the question of the place of study was not raised, Popov had long known that he would enter the Volgograd Institute of Physical Culture. Within the walls of the educational institution, his mentor was Anatoly Zhuchkov, who decided to continue working with him on backstroke. The classes did not bring success, despite the efforts, and Alexander went to Gennady Turetsky, who immediately saw a good sprinter in his ward.

Freestyle training began, and it was a real study. Turkish demanded harshly, but explained sensibly and fairly.

In 1991, when it was difficult in Russia with food, "Gen Genich" took his pupils to Italy to feed them a little. He believed that athletes should eat healthy and well.

Popov's sports career

The first brilliant victory was his participation in the 1991 European Championship in Athens, where Alexander received 4 gold medals, having covered distances of 50 and 100 meters. The next year brought real sports fame to Alexander Popov: he won two gold medals at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Then there was the European Championship and two more gold medals. In 1993, the athlete moved to Australia, where his coach had been working for a long time.

The fact is that after the competition in Barcelona, ​​the team coached by Turetsky broke up. The leaders left, he himself signed a contract with a foreign team and a year later invited Popov to his place, who proved his professionalism in 1994:

• won the world championship twice;
• a year later, in Vienna, he managed to earn the highest awards in individual and team events;
• The Olympics-96, which took place in the American town of Atlanta, made Alexander Popov famous all over the world.

The victory here was not easy. Sports experts assumed that the "gold" will go to the American Hall. The athlete was in excellent shape and showed the best results in training competitions.

In addition, he performed in his own country, and that also meant a lot. Even President Clinton came to support him. However, the Americans were disappointed: both gold medals were won by the Russian swimmer Alexander Popov, and Bill Clinton had adequately listened to the Russian anthem to the end.

Medal for 100 meters Alexander presented to my coach as a token of gratitude... Thus, he returned to his homeland as a two-time Olympic champion and from that moment his career growth went up, at that time he did not even know how many achievements still lay ahead. But this year, in addition to triumph, brought the champion and his fans the hardest test: he was attacked by a hooligan. While already in Russia, he and a friend accompanied the girls they knew to the metro, and one of them heard an insult from the seller of a commercial stall.

A fight ensued, and Alexander was stabbed in the left side. The injury turned out to be serious: the knife damaged the kidneys and lung. It is not known how the incident could have ended if it were not for the professionalism of the surgeon Manvelidze, who performed a unique operation, making an incision along the muscle, thereby preserving its mobility. This made it possible for the athlete not only to return to duty in a year, but also to win many more victories. Later a documentary film titled “Champions. Faster. Above. Stronger".

New victories

It took the legendary swimmer exactly one year to recover his health after the operation. The family and his girlfriend Dasha were around all the time, and he quickly bounced back. He could not do otherwise, because in the world of swimming he was called only the Tsar.

And the athlete was ready for new achievements:

1. In the summer of 1997 in Seville, he won two gold medals.
2. Next year - another victory at the Olympics.
3. Russian swimmer Alexander Vladimirovich Popov from the International Swimming Federation is awarded the Cup of the Outstanding Athlete of the Decade.

At the third Olympiad in Sydney, he did not manage to get "gold", but he still won the second place in 100 meters.

Many sports analysts wrote then that the swimmer's sports career went into decline, but exactly three years later in Barcelona, ​​he again came out ahead at a short distance.

According to the athlete, in 2000, the so-called "miracle costumes" appeared, which supposedly help the swimmer to develop the required speed in the water. He always performed in some swimming trunks, believed that a man was swimming, not a suit. In 2005, Alexander Popov retired from sports, works in the Olympic Committee and is engaged in social activities.

As a member of the Presidential Council for Physical Culture and Sports, tries in every possible way to defend the rights of athletes... He never runs away from foreign journalists, speaks good English, and willingly shares his experience in the sports media. An autobiographical book was published in France, a summary of which the champion outlined in an interview.

Under his leadership, a whole group of companies "Academy of Alexander Popov" is working on projects for sports facilities.

Briefly about the activities of the academy, its employees intend to give the citizens of the country as many opportunities as possible to go in for sports and create the appropriate conditions for this. Now the four-time Olympic champion lives with his family in Moscow. As for the pages on social networks, there are two opinions on this matter: either he does not communicate on the Internet at all, or he uses pseudonyms and nicknames. You can't find an athlete on Instagram and VKontakte, although many users are registered with the name "alexander popov", including bloggers, singers, designers, but there is no athlete.

Personal life

The athlete's personal life is well established. Today he has a close-knit family, three children: Vladimir, Anton and Mia. Married, Popov's wife - Daria Shmeleva, a former athlete, in the past also a swimmer, his colleague. The daughter goes to elementary school, and the eldest son, like his father, goes in for swimming and has his first successes.

Alexander and Daria got married in 1997, then lived in Australia. The fate of their union is unusual... The first fell in love with the handsome swimmer Dasha, then the timid girl did not know how to confess her feelings. Everyone in the team saw that she was in love in earnest, and began to take her to all his competitions in order to support morally. Eventually they started dating. On that fateful day, when there was a fight with the hooligans, he accompanied the girl home.

At that time, Alexander had no intention of starting a family. Everything was decided by a minute. When he woke up in the hospital after the operation, Dasha was sitting by the bed, who took care of him after the injury.

And then he realized for himself that there was no more faithful and faithful girl in the world. Since then, they have been together for over twenty years. She is engaged in children and housekeeping and does not regret that she once left her career for the sake of her beloved man.

Wikipedia contains data on the biography and sports achievements of Alexander, he also has VK accounts and on Instagram, but in contact the athlete puts out little information about his personal life.

Alexander Popov, a four-time Olympic champion in swimming, a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, visited the Locker Room. Today the famous sprinter flew from Moscow, from the Russian swimming championship, to the Swiss city of Solothurn, where he moved with his wife and children a few months ago from Canberra. At first glance, Popov is an open conversationalist. However, the thin strings of his soul cannot be reached when it comes to family, coach Gennady Turetsky and losing the Sydney Olympics.

STARS

DARIA'S LOCKER ROOM

Alexander Popov, a four-time Olympic champion in swimming, a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, visited the Locker Room. Today the famous sprinter flew from Moscow, from the Russian swimming championship, to the Swiss city of Solothurn, where he moved with his wife and children a few months ago from Canberra. At first glance, Popov is an open conversationalist. However, the thin strings of his soul cannot be reached when it comes to family, coach Gennady Turetsky and losing the Sydney Olympics.

CHAPTER 1. PERSONAL LIFE

LOVE AFFAIR AT WORK

The popular handsome man (as soon as the meticulous French reporter from the newspaper "Equip" dared to compare him with a limping frog, noticing that Sasha was limping a little - he fell from a tree as a child!) one not very young lady.

She was not particularly stressed when in the fall of 1995, at a training camp in the Moscow region, Sasha had a relationship with her teammate Daria Shmeleva (she was also courted by three-time Olympic champion Yevgeny Sadovy). Just think, an office romance, with whom it does not happen. Dasha fell in love. “She became insane,” said coach Shmeleva Victor Avdienko at the Atlanta Olympics. - I call her to me, explain the problem. And she looks right through me and doesn't understand anything. To be honest, later we took her to the competition for Sasha's sake, so that he would receive a certain, you know, energy charge before the start. "

Flirting, perhaps, would not have grown into something more, because, according to Popov, a serious relationship for an athlete who is on the move is like "a suitcase without a handle: it's hard to carry, but it's a pity to leave." Although in Australia, he used to get into a car and wind circles around Canberra all night to get away from loneliness. However, the unexpected happened: in the late evening of August 24, 1996, shortly after the Olympics in Atlanta, in Moscow on Udaltsova Street, he got into an alteration that almost cost him his life.

Together with his friend Leonid, with whom Sasha lodged, he went out to escort Dasha and her friend to the taxi stand and got into a fight with the Caucasian watermelon merchants who insulted the girls. As a result, he received a knife wound in the kidney and lung and was operated on in the 31st city hospital. And Dasha came out.

Alexander Popov: “The first thing I saw when I woke up from anesthesia was the eyes of Daria Shmeleva. And I realized that this man is infinitely devoted to me. "

After being discharged, he was baptized in a church near Moscow in the presence of Shmeleva and the fighter Alexander Karelin.

Alexander Popov:“Before, I could not understand whether I believe in God or not. And then this story and some strange coincidences. First, one of the Caucasians tried to hit me on the head with a cobblestone, but the stone only scratched my skin. Secondly, the knife, which pierced my body to a depth of 15 centimeters, did not radically touch the vital organs. Thirdly, we immediately caught a private trader, although at night they usually do not pick up large companies. I came to the conclusion: the Lord saved me. And without hesitation he accepted the rite of baptism. "

He took Dasha to Canberra and in the spring of 1997 married her, in fact, imprisoning her within four walls. Shmeleva, once the prima of the Russian swimming team, recently confessed to me: “I would gladly give you an interview. But Sasha forbids. Ask him. Otherwise we will both get it. " But he did not allow: they say, my wife is mine. Maybe he has something to hide? As the British say, everyone has their own skeletons in the closet.

Dasha, of course, will not go against her husband. He is the breadwinner. Beloved man. The father of her two sons: five-year-old Volodya and three-year-old Anton. They are small copies of their daddy. “I don’t know which of the children is more like me in character,” says Popov. - The one, probably, who has not been born yet. In fact, both are wayward, like me. I have no idea if swimmers will come out of them, although I believe in genetics. "

SECRETS OF TURKISH

However, he himself is not from a sports family. He turned seven when his mother Valentina (passport officer) and father Vladimir (turner) took him to one of the Sverdlovsk swimming pools. Little Sasha was so afraid of water that he panicked when she tickled his knees.

Alexander Popov:“When in 1989 I, a young, promising swimmer, entered the infizcult, I was assigned to the group of Anatoly Zhuchkov, who trained“ spinists ”. I was under his care until August 1990. At the training camp, the head coach of the national team, Gleb Petrov, summoned me to his room and asked: "Sasha, I have a business proposal for you, would you like to switch to freestyle?" In the first seconds, I paused, because oh, how difficult it is to roll over from back to stomach overnight, changing the style. And then he mumbled: "Well, well, if you want so much." Petrov smiled: “Wise act, lad. Your new mentor will be Gennady Turetsky. " A kind of pathetic grin appeared on my face: Turetsky was known for his toughness. Fortunately, I quickly became convinced that he was a smart, but not tough person. He explains to the student what is required of him. Explains intelligibly, if necessary. But it never squeals like a pig.

I remember in the fall of 1991, during the collapse of the USSR, when due to economic difficulties we did not have enough quality food, Gen Genich took us to the “valley of hearty food” - Italy, repeating that without good food a talented athlete cannot become a champion.

After the Olympics-92, Turetsky's stellar brigade disintegrated. The leaders Gennady Prigoda and Veniamin Tayanovich left (he married the fortuneteller Tamara Globa, whom he later divorced). The maestro himself was offered a contract with the Australian Institute of Sports, and he happily rushed off to Canberra, saying goodbye to Sasha: "Be ready to join me." Another call came in January of the following year, and just a few days later Popov occupied a room in a Canberra hostel.

Alexander cannot foresee the situation in which he will be forced to leave the mentor. But Gen Genych, a meek-looking, short, dense gentleman, pierced three times. According to the testimony of doctors, due to an old head injury, Turetsky sometimes falls into unconsciousness and ceases to control himself. The attack happened in August 1995 on the plane, when Gennady, returning from the United States to Australia, bit the pilot. “I didn’t like his ass, the desire to bite my teeth into it was so great that I didn’t hold back,” he commented on his act. Others, however, attribute this story not to a disease, but to the coach's hobby for alcohol. But we are not prosecutors to get to the bottom of the truth. He served the prescribed month behind bars in Hawaii, over the territory of which hooliganism took place. By the way, the window of his cell overlooked the ocean, and there was a TV in the cage.

In April 2001, illegal drugs were found in a safe stolen from Turetsky's house and found hacked in a pond. Gennady was suspended from work for six months, and then acquitted (he suffered losses of about 40 thousand Australian dollars, since the services of his lawyers cost $ 280 per hour) for lack of circumstantial evidence of his involvement in the possession of doping. “All the students left me, including the two-time Olympic champion Michael Klim, fearing, probably, that I would be convicted for the history of doping. They didn’t want to see me as a loser. Australians are a proud people. But Popov stayed. He is Russian, ”continues Turetsky.

The cross in his career on Zeleny was put on by last year's June scandal. Returning from the European tour "Mare Nostrum" in the airliner of the Australian company "Quantos", following the route Singapore-Sydney, he seemed to doze off, and when he woke up, he began to rampage. He was fired, so at the first opportunity the famous tandem moved to Switzerland. Popov would have followed Turetsky wherever he went.

OPINION

Gennady TURETSKY, Popov's coach:

I find it strange that Popov did not wear a suit at the Sydney Olympics, in it, I believe, he would have swum more efficiently. Moreover, the suit for Sasha was ready eight months before the competition, and we tested it at a minor tournament, where Popov swam 50 meters almost a second faster than usual. But he decided to perform in traditional swimming trunks, and I was not going to convince him. We have a different relationship. Each person should be confident in what he is doing. After the loss, we did not touch on this topic.

OLYMPIAD IN SYDNEY

On the evening of September 19, 2000, Gen Genich, who had quit smoking, nervously "smoked" at the back door of the Sydney pool. Popov has just lost the 100-meter Olympic final to Dutchman Peter van den Hugenband. It is not true that Sasha has dried up! It's not true that the old wolf is tired! At almost 29, he was on the rise, breaking the 50m world record in May.

Popov would have won a flesh-and-blood rival. Moreover, under any circumstances. Think of the Atlanta Olympics. What a campaign then they staged in the press! Gold contender Gary Hall (two years later he was disqualified for smoking marijuana) swore from the pages of authoritative newspapers: "I will kill this Russian!" He portrayed Rambo, approaching the starting bollard with tightly clenched fists. However, the reaction of those around Popov was not frightened, it is not for nothing that the same Americans call him an ice guy for his equanimity. And let Bill Clinton himself come to watch Gary's victory. Nothing, standing listening to the Russian anthem.

He could not overcome the miracle of technology (as outstanding chess players cannot beat a computer). Hugenband swam in a Long John overalls, the magic fabric of which creates a kinetic chain - the transfer of energy from hands to feet, which allows top-class athletes to swim about a second faster than usual. Popov put on only swimming trunks. And he lost 0.39 seconds to the enemy. Paradoxically, one of the six developers of the novelty was Turkish.

Here's how it happened: the French swimming company, sponsoring the Russian national team, began to introduce overalls later than the Spanish one, which dresses Australians and Americans. And there were many complaints about her products. For example, Popov could not find the right copy in any way. With his two-meter height and long arms, it is generally very difficult for him to get clothes: even when civil suits are sewn for him, the sleeves are still short.

Alexander Popov:“Long John was probably measured on me three or four times. I asked: “Bring a cutter. Let him stretch the material. He will see what his stretch ratio is - 30, 50, 100 percent. He will take my measurements and calculate how much fabric is needed for sewing. " But the cutter did not come. Instead, they sent me a suit. I turned it over in my hands and thought: say, to my son, Vovka, who was not even three years old then, is he? In the end, I decided that I would not play at Long John. So he told the firm: "You don't even have to sew on me." They were offended: "And for photography?" “For photography,” I say, “please, I’ll wear any. But I will not swim in it. My opinion is irrevocable and not subject to appeal. " I think I did the right thing. A suit like dope can be addictive, and I can prove my superiority without this piece of fabric. "

He remains a "top" figure, despite the fact that new heroes were born, for example, Australian Ian Thorpe, American Lenny Kreiselberg, Hugenband and others. Like ten years ago, the tribunes exhale with delight: "Popov" (foreigners stress the first syllable), regardless of its results.

Popov, of course, is a phenomenon. Such people have always come and are coming for gold. By the way, otherwise Turetsky would no longer work with Sasha. No wonder he asked him: "Are you going to work for the result?" This refers to the Olympics in Athens. And he received an affirmative answer. “I am not swimming to extend my career or to be a simple bather. My character is not that strong, ”Popov assures.

CHAPTER 2. SPORT, IOC.
STEAM LOCOMOTIVE FLIES FORWARD

CLIMATE INJURY

- Why do you keep swimming?

Are you tired of it? Say so! And I'll leave tomorrow.

- And still?

The process of falling in love with swimming has not come to an end for me. On the contrary, it seems to me that it has just begun. Turetsky and I have a lot of ideas. He always directs me to the most important task. For example, we thought about whether it is possible to swim a fifty-kopeck piece of 20 seconds. I guess you can. In this case, it is not necessary to experience hellish pain or superphysical stress. The main thing is to believe it.

Do you think Thorpe just wanted to swim at the World Cup 50 and 100 meters, or is he preparing for the Olympics at these distances?

I do not exclude this, but we have already had such experiments that did not end well. In the meantime, let's not run ahead, as they say, horses, electric trains?

- Steam locomotive.

Just about, ahead of the locomotive.

- Klim did the right thing by leaving the disgraced Turetsky?

Has anyone seen him competing since then? No! Michael started getting injured. He underwent four surgeries: ankle, spine and both ankles.

- Will the Australians slow down after Turkish departure?

They have a couple of locomotives, and the main one is Thorpe, which will carry the "wagons" for several years.

CHOCOLATE FRIENDSHIP

- Do you often communicate with your friend Alexander Karelin?

If we manage to dock with San Sanych in Moscow, we meet. It is my deep conviction: it is not necessary to be passionate about friends - to the point of hiccups. It is enough to see someone dear to you once a year and feel yourself in chocolate.

- Karelin still has not recovered from losing the Olympics in Sydney. And you?

It is not within our power to return those competitions, so I am not torturing myself.

- Is it important for IOC members to have an active athlete in their ranks?

I have never talked to them on this topic. Once we have been chosen, then we are needed. By the way, at that time, not only I was an active athlete, but also athlete Sergei Bubka, who no longer performs. But from this they did not value him less.

- What exactly did you do in the Athletes' Commission?

Personally, I don't decide anything. This is the prerogative of the commission, which, for example, achieved the abolition of sex control for women at tournaments - a humiliating procedure. But to be honest, this issue was brought up for discussion back in 1997, that is, before me.

- Is it true that when you go on trips from the IOC, you are paid a daily allowance of about $ 1,000?

Yeah, right now! Such packs hand over the pockets bulging out!

Have you moved to Switzerland, where the IOC headquarters is located, to be closer to your colleagues - officials? Do you dream of settling here?

I have no task - to obtain Swiss citizenship. For a long time I was eager to go to Europe, because, firstly, Mother Russia, where my parents live, is nearby. And, secondly, it is much more convenient to travel from here to competitions than from Australia.

BY THE WAY

Being just a champion and a great champion is two big differences, Popov is sure. - I realized this on November 16, 1991, on the day of my twentieth birthday, at the Lavazza Trophy tournament in Saluzzo, Italy. After my swim, Mark Spitz (American, nine-time Olympic champion. - Author's note), who played in other finals, came up to me and said: “Alex, if you want to become an Olympic champion, try to do it at 20, because at 24 it may be late. " I spent three or four hours digesting this phrase. There were eight months before Barcelona, ​​but the word "Olympics" has attracted me like a magnet ever since. From a green youth, I instantly turned into a mature man, obsessed with a directly manic idea: to win. I started at all stages of the World Cup and in the final - in Palma de Mallorca. We, ten boobies from the national team, rented motorcycles and collided badly crippled. Six weeks remained before the selection for the Olympics - the national championship. I don’t know how I won it.

OUR REFERENCE

Alexander Popov. Performs in freestyle at distances of 50 and 100 meters. Born on November 16, 1971 in Sverdlovsk. Height - 2 m, weight - 190 kg. In the national team of the country since 1991. Achievements in the individual competition in the 50-meter pool. Olympic champion 1992 and 1996 at distances of 50 and 100 m. Silver medalist of the 2000 Olympics at a distance of 100 m. World record holder at a distance of 50 m (21.64, set on June 15, 2000). 1994 world champion at distances of 50 and 100 m. 1998 world champion at a distance of 100 m, silver medalist at a distance of 50 m. Twenty-time European champion (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002) in the individual competition and relay races. Coach - Gennady Turetsky. From 1993 to 2003 he lived in Canberra, Australia. Since January 15, 2003 he has been living in Solothurn, Switzerland. Married. Wife Daria Shmeleva, silver medalist of the 1993 European Championship in complex swimming. Sons: Vladimir, 5.5 years old and Anton, 2.5 years old. Has Russian citizenship. Four-room apartment in Moscow, near the Vernadsky Prospekt metro station. Favorite expression: "Horses die from work."

Alexander Popov is a Soviet and Russian swimmer. Alexander has already left the big sport, but during his sports biography he managed to become a four-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion, 21-time European champion.

The future legend of Soviet and Russian sports, Alexander Vladimirovich Popov, was born in the closed Ural town of Sverdlovsk-45. Such places were called "mailboxes". Today the city is called Lesnaya. There were no athletes in the family of the future champion. Parents worked at a secret enterprise.

Mom and Dad decided to take their son to the sports section for swimming just like that, "for health." There was no far-reaching goal of making the boy an Olympic champion. Nobody thought that Alexander would be so keen on sports. The first coach Galina Vitman managed to open the future 4-time Olympic champion. Although it was unlikely then, in the sports club of the town of Lesnoy, the coach guessed that this long and awkward boy was a future legend.

Swimming took more and more time from Alexander Popov. When the grades at the school began to creep down, the parents were alarmed. The father even asked if it was time to quit sports. To which the son replied shortly: "Late".

After graduating from school, Popov went to Volgograd, where he entered the university. There, the athlete continued to train. For a long time, Alexander swam on his back. Popov's coach Anatoly Zhuchkov believed that this type of swimming is most suitable for an athlete. But at some point, Popov realized that, although he was listed among the most promising guys, he was not moving forward. Then the athlete moved on to another mentor, Gennady Turetsky.

This coach managed to reveal the huge potential of the swimmer and realized in time that the most suitable style for him was freestyle swimming. Almost 2 meters tall, an excellent sense of water and elastic muscles of Alexander Popov are the qualities necessary for a sprinter. And now this potential has been used 100 percent. The victory was not long in coming.

Sports career

A brilliant sports biography of Alexander Popov began in 1991. The swimmer went to the European Championship for the first time. Then the competition was held in Athens. 4 gold medals received at these competitions - this is the result of Popov's many years of work. Alexander Popov managed to win at distances of 50 and 100 meters, in two relay races. This year brought the first Victoria in a series of brilliant victories for the Soviet swimmer.

The following year, Alexander Popov is already an Olympic champion, and two-time: the swimmer brought two gold medals from Barcelona. He won two more gold medals at the 1993 European Championship. This year the swimmer moved to live in Australia. Here, after the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​Popov's coach Gennady Turetsky remained to work.

The Russian swimmer managed to prove that victories are not accidental in 1994, breaking the world record and winning twice at the Roman World Championship. And the next year, Alexander Popov added four more to his own, already solid collection of awards: two personal and two team. This time, Alexander received the highest awards at the World Championship, which was held in Vienna.

The 1996 Olympics in the American Atlanta made the Russian swimmer world famous: Alexander again snatched two gold medals in his personal swim. And again at distances of 50 and 100 meters. This is the second consecutive Olympic Games, where the Russian athlete left his rivals behind. But the victory in Atlanta turned out to be especially bright and memorable for sports fans. Indeed, according to the calculations of experts, the American swimmer Gary Hall should have won. At that time, the American was in the best shape, and in preliminary competitions he managed to demonstrate better results than Alexander's.

The Americans were so confident in their own triumphant victory that they openly declared in the press about the future victories of American sprinters Hall and Olsson. Gary Hall himself behaved defiantly. It was doubly difficult for Popov, because the fans of the American swimmer were sitting in the stands. He even came with his family to support the American athlete, confident that his compatriot would be the triumphant. But the triumph was not in the hands of Hall, but of Popov. The disappointment of the Americans, who had previously relished the victory, was enormous. But Alexander has become a legend.

In August 1996, Russian fans and fans of Alexander Popov froze at the shocking news. The favorite sportsman, having arrived from Australia to Moscow, received a severe knife wound in a street skirmish. The athlete and his friend accompanied the girls they knew to the metro, past the stalls. The sellers standing there insulted the girls, and the young people got involved first in an argument, then in a fight. The sellers were armed. The swimmer's friend was smashed and his hand was cut, and Alexander was stabbed in the left side. At first, the athlete did not even notice the injury until blood oozed from the wound.

The penetration was deep - 15 centimeters. The knife touched the kidney and lungs. The girls who were walking with their friends managed to find a private driver who took the wounded athlete to the hospital. There Alexander was immediately taken to the operation.

Who knows how this incident would have ended if not for the golden hands of Doctor Avtandil Manvelidze. This metropolitan surgeon not only saved the life of the athlete, the doctor managed to perform a unique operation, making an incision not across, but along the muscles, which gave the athlete a chance to continue his career.

In the summer of next year, Alexander Popov not only returned to the sport, the swimmer twice managed to become the European champion. Competitions were held in Seville. This fragment of Popov's life, from injury and rehabilitation to returning to victories in sports, was screened in the sports drama Champions: Faster. Above. Stronger".

And in 1998, the swimmer won the third "golden set" at the next Olympics. In the same year, the International Swimming Federation awarded Alexander the trophy as the most outstanding swimmer of the last decade.

In 2000, Alexander Popov, who at that time was 28 years old, managed to break the world record in the 50-meter. Now Alexander has two such victories on his account (the athlete previously broke the world record in a 25-meter pool).

Some decline in achievements began after the Sydney Olympics. Here Popov managed to take 2nd place at the 100-meter distance and 6th at the 50-meter distance. However, the athlete continued to swim for another 4 years. Alexander said that he wants to end his sports career where it began - in Athens.

Leaving big sports

Since 2005, Popov has not taken part in competitions. But Alexander continues to do everything that depends on him for Russian sports. Alexander Vladimirovich is a member of the International Swimming Federation. The champion works in the Russian Olympic Committee and is a member of the Presidential Council for Physical Culture and Sports and the Supreme Council of the All-Russian Voluntary Society "Sports Russia".

Western journalists also love the Russian swimmer. Alexander Popov is a positive, benevolent person. The former athlete speaks English at a conversational level and amazes with interesting judgments. In 2001, the presentation of the autobiography of Alexander Popov took place in France.

The famous watch company "Omega" offered Alexander Popov a long-term contract. For many years, the swimmer was the face of the company. The contract was extended even after the not very successful games in Sydney. As the company executives said, the brand was attracted by both the swimmer's victories and Alexander's human qualities, decency and deep patriotism.

For a long time, Alexander Popov lived in Australia. But the swimmer rejected a number of proposals to accept the citizenship of this country, claiming that not everything in this world can be estimated with money.

Today the legendary athlete lives in his homeland, in Moscow. Alexander Popov is the owner of the common first and last name. For example, on Instagram an actor, singer and skateboarder blogger are registered under this name, but the athlete himself cannot be found. The situation is the same with other social networks. Alexander Popov either does not maintain official pages on the Internet, or does it secretly and using nicknames.

Personal life

Alexander Popov is a family man. He met his future wife Daria Shmeleva in the pool. Dasha is also an athlete, a swimmer. She played for the national team at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

Now the personal life of Alexander Popov is his beloved wife Daria and three children. Sons Vladimir and Anton were born in 1997 and 2000. The birth of their third child, a girl, was a great joy for the spouses. She was born in December 2010 and received the name Mia.

Alexander Popov now

In 2016, Alexander Popov went to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but not as an athlete, but as an ambassador of the Omega brand, the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games.

In 2017, the athlete became a member of the Supreme Supervisory Board of the All-Russian Swimming Federation. In addition, Alexander Popov is the chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and the chairman of the public organization Russian Physical Culture and Sports Society Lokomotiv.

Achievements

• 1991 - three gold medals at the European Championships in Athens
• 1992 - two gold and two silver medals at the Barcelona Olympic Games
• 1993 - four gold medals at the European Championships in Sheffield
• 1994 - two gold and two silver medals at the World Championships in Rome
• 1995 - four gold medals at the European Championships in Vienna
• 1996 - two gold and two silver medals at the Atlanta Olympics
• 1997 - four gold medals at the European Championships in Seville
• 1998 - gold, silver and bronze medals at the World Championships in Perth
• 1999 - two silver and two bronze medals at the European Championships in Istanbul
• 2000 - Silver medal in the 100m swim at the Sydney Olympics
• 2000 - four gold medals at the European Championships in Helsinki
• 2002 - gold and silver medals at the European Championships in Berlin
• 2003 - three gold and one silver medals at the World Championships in Barcelona
• 2004 - gold medal at the European Championships in Madrid