Jump to content

Vladimir Popov (wrestler)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Albertovich and the family name is Popov.

Vladimir Popov
Popov in 2014
Personal information
NationalityRussian
Born(1962-01-01)1 January 1962
Barnaul, Altai Krai, Soviet Union
Died2 August 2025(2025-08-02) (aged 63)
Omsk, Russia
EducationOmsk State Institute of Physical Education
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
Country Soviet Union
SportGreco-Roman wrestling
Weight classLight-heavyweight
ClubVS Omsk
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul 90 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Clermont-Ferrand 90 kg

Vladimir Albertovich Popov (Russian: Владимир Альбертович Попов; 1 January 1962 – 2 August 2025) was a Russian wrestler. He began wrestling in 1973 and was a silver medalist at the Soviet national championships in 1984 and 1985. He then won a title at the Wrestling World Cup in 1986 before winning gold at the national championships, European Championships and World Championships in 1987. He later won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics and gold at the 1989 European Championships before retiring in 1990 and becoming a coach.

Biography

[edit]

Popov was born on 1 January 1962 in Barnaul, Altai Krai, Soviet Union.[1][2] He grew up a fan of wrestling and had his mother enroll him for instruction at the club DSO "Trud" in 1973, when he was age 11.[3] There, he trained under coach Valentin Permyakov, an Honored Coach of the USSR.[3] He entered Suvorov Military School in ninth grade and after tenth grade moved to Omsk, where he attended the Omsk State Institute of Physical Education and later graduated.[3][4] In Omsk, he became a member of the wrestling club VS Omsk.[1]

Competing in Greco-Roman wrestling as a light-heavyweight, Popov received further training from coach Alexander Kiselnikov and was a silver medalist at the national championships in 1984 and 1985.[5][6] He was selected to the Soviet national wrestling team for the first time in 1986.[1] That year, he competed at the Wrestling World Cup and won the gold medal in his event.[7] In 1987, he won the USSR Championship in Omsk, which he later described as "my first real victory [which] confirmed for me when that I could really be a champion".[5] With his victory at the national championships, he qualified for the European Championships in Tampere, Finland, which he won without allowing a single point to be scored against him.[5] He thus qualified for the 1987 World Wrestling Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where he won gold and became world champion.[5] For his accomplishments in 1987, he was given the title that year of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.[6]

In 1988, Popov repeated as Soviet champion in his event and was selected to compete at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.[6] Although he lost to Harri Koskela in the third round, he won his next four matches, pinning Christer Gulldén in the finals to earn the bronze medal.[5] He later recalled that he had been expected to win gold at the Olympics and his bronze was viewed by himself and teammates as a disappointment: "I cleanly put [Gulldén] down in 20 seconds and won the bronze medal. I took it in my hands after the presentation, went and put it in my pocket. I was sour, the medal did not make me happy. Many guys said then: 'It is better to be nobody than to be third.' At that time, there was no joy. But still, it is an Olympic medal. You understand this only years later. At least I got the bronze – and that is a great happiness. But then we regarded it as a failure."[3] The following year, he won his second title in his event at the European Championships.[8] After the fall of the Soviet Union, Popov retired from wrestling in 1990.[6]

After concluding his competitive career, Popov served as a coach in Sweden, later moving to Australia.[6] He is an inductee to the Omsk Wrestling Hall of Fame.[5] He married his wife, Lena, in 1986.[3] Their son, Ivan, competed for Australia and won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.[9]

Popov died on 2 August 2025, aged 63, in Omsk.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Vladimir Popov". Olympedia.org. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Vladimir Popov". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Владимир Попов: "Без неё я ничего бы не добился..."" [Vladimir Popov: "Without her I would not have achieved anything..."]. Wrest55.ru (in Russian). Federation of Wrestling of Omsk Region. 28 December 2006.
  4. ^ Perevertun, Ekaterina (3 August 2025). "Ушел из жизни известный омский борец Владимир Попов" [Famous Omsk wrestler Vladimir Popov has passed away]. Новый Омск (in Russian).
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Попов Владимир Альбертович" [Popov Vladimir Albertovich] (in Russian). Federation of Wrestling of the Omsk Region. August 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e "ПОПОВ Владимир Альбертович" [POPOV Vladimir Albertovich]. infosport.ru (in Russian).
  7. ^ Loginova, Vera (3 August 2025). "На 64-м году жизни скончался чемпион мира по борьбе Владимир Попов" [World wrestling champion Vladimir Popov dies at 64]. Argumenty i Fakty (in Russian).
  8. ^ "Умер призер Олимпиады‑1988 и чемпион мира по греко‑римской борьбе Владимир Попов" [1988 Olympic medalist and world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Vladimir Popov has died]. Sportbox.ru (in Russian). 3 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Popov wins wrestling gold, like dad". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 7 October 2010.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vladimir_Popov_(wrestler)&oldid=1305463608"