| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's canoe sprint | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | K-1 500 m |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1998 Szeged | K-1 200 m |
| Gold | 1999 Milan | K-1 200 m |
| Silver | 1998 Szeged | K-1 500 m |
Michael Kolganov (Hebrew: מיכאל קלגנוב, born October 24, 1974 in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR) is a Soviet-born, Israeli sprint canoer and former world champion. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the K-1 500 m event at Sydney in 2000.[1] He was the flag bearer for Israel during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics.[2]
Born Mikhail Kolganov in the former Soviet Union, he is Jewish,[3] and took up canoeing at the age of 14. "I was a fat young boy," he recalled, "and my parents were looking for a hobby for me that would help me lose weight."[4] Kolganov's older brother Andrei was already a Soviet youth champion in kayaks, and represented the former Soviet Union.
Kolganov was brought to Israel by the Jewish Agency in 1995. A graduate in Physical Education from the University of Tashkent, he first settled in Haifa, and after a brief spell with the Hapoel Haifa rowing club, he moved eastwards to join Hapoel Emek HaYarden, living nearby at Kibbutz Degania Bet.
He has represented Israel in competition since 1997. Kolganov was K-1 200 m world champion in 1998 and 1999, and earned a K-1 500 m silver in 1998.
He represented Israel at the 2000 Summer Olympics, winning the K-1 500 m bronze medal and finishing fourth in the K-1 1000 m event. He competed on behalf of Israel at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and finished fourth in the K-1 500 m. He competed on behalf of Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China,[5] and failed to advance to the final in both the K-1 500 m and K-1 1000 m events.
He has also competed in the K-2. At the 2006 European Championships in Račice, Czech Republic, he won the K2 200m bronze medal with partner Barak Lufan. At the 2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, Kolganov and Lufan finished fifth in the K-2 200 m and sixth in the K-2 500 m.
Kolganov served in the Israel Defense Forces within the framework of the IDF's program for sporting excellence. He was stationed near to home so that he could train more easily.
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