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Alexander Popov

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Swimmer

The Resume

    (November 16, 1971- )
    Born in Lesnoy, Russia
    Won Olympic gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle (1992,1996)
    Won Olympic silver medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and 4x100 medley relay (1992,1996)
    Won an Olympic silver medal in 100-meter freestyle (2000)
    Won six gold medals at the World Aquatic Championships (1994-2003) and 21 gold medals at the European Championships (1993-2004)
    Held world records for 50-meter freestyle (2000-08) and 100-meter freestyle (1994-2000)

Why he might be annoying:

    Before his father made him take swimming lessons, he was scared of the water.
    He became an Australian citizen but continued competing for Russia.
    Asked at a press conference to name his favorite actor or actress he replied, ‘I don’t dream about actors and actresses. They should dream about me. I am reality. They are not.’
    He boasted, ‘On a good day, nobody can beat me. On a bad day, nobody can beat me.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was the first swimmer to win four gold medals in individual freestyle events.
    A month after the Atlanta Olympic Games, he was stabbed in the abdomen during an argument with a Moscow street vendor and required emergency surgery to repair the lining of his lungs (August, 1996).
    He came back to win the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events at the 1997 European Championships.
    He became the youngest member of the International Olympic Committee (1999).
    He appeared at the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, presenting flowers to volunteers (2008).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 20 Votes: 30.0% Annoying