Popov Larisa

About

Larisa Aleksandrova-Popova was born on April 9, 1957, in the city of Tiraspol and became one of the most prestigious athletes in the Republic of Moldova. From childhood, the young athlete practiced various disciplines – basketball and athletics – but at the age of 13, she discovered her passion for academic rowing. With dedication and remarkable talent, Larisa managed to become a Master of Sport of the USSR in just three years, a title she received at the age of 16 from her coach, Iuri Vilkov. Nicknamed "The Arrow from Tiraspol" for her grace and speed on the water, Popova represented a generation of exceptional Soviet athletes, and her training was characterized by advanced rowing techniques and extraordinary physical capacity. A turning point in her career was the 1976 Montreal Olympics, when at just 19 years old she was selected for the Soviet Union's academic rowing team in the coxed quadruple sculls (4+1 oars), being the youngest in the crew, and won the silver medal. Although she became a mother shortly after this success, Larisa did not abandon her sports career. On July 26, 1980, in a dramatic race on the Krîlatskoe canal in Moscow, she triumphed alongside Belarusian Elena Khlopceva in the double sculls event, covering 1,000 meters in 3 minutes and 16.27 seconds. This victory represented the USSR's only gold medal in academic rowing at that Olympics and made Larisa Popova the first representative of the Republic of Moldova to win the Olympic champion title. Her contribution to sport and the development of the Olympic movement did not end after her retirement from competitions. In 1981, 1982, and 1983, Popova won world titles in rowing, consolidating her international reputation. Recognizing her outstanding merits, in 2003 she received the "Woman and Sport" trophy from the International Olympic Committee, and in 2017 she was awarded the National Prize of the Republic of Moldova for her entire sports career. Currently, Larisa Popova holds the position of First Vice-President of the National Olympic and Sports Committee and President of the Rowing Federation of the Republic of Moldova, continuing to promote Olympic values and develop academic rowing in her country.