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Erin Popovich

Erin

Popovich

Paralympian 2000, 2004, 2008

  • 14

    GOLD

  • 5

    SILVER

  • 0

    BRONZE

Athlete Bio#

Erin Popovich

Age

39

Hometown

Colorado Springs, CO

Quick Facts
  • Interested in sports at an early age including horse-back riding, soccer and basketball
  • Moved to Butte, Montana when she was five
  • Joined swimming team when she was 12
  • Born with achondroplasia
  • During childhood wore braces to straighten back and legs
  • Received Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University where she swm as a varsity athlete
  • Named “Swimmer of the Year with a Disability” by Swimming World Magazine, Individual Sportswomen of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation, and was ESPY Award winner for Best Female Athlete with a Disability in 200
Paralympic Experience
  • 3-time Paralympian; 19-time Paralympic medalist (14 gold, 5 silver)
    • Paralympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (100m Breaststroke SB7 - Women, 100m Freestyle S7 - Women, 200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women, 400m Freestyle S7 - Women), silver (50m Butterfly S7 - Women, 50m Freestyle S7 - Women)
    • Paralympic Games Athens 2004, gold (100m Breaststroke SB7 - Women, 100m Freestyle S7 - Women, 200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 34 Points - Women, 4 x 100m Medley Relay 34 Points - Women, 50m Butterfly S7 - Women, 50m Freestyle S7 - Women)
    • Paralympic Games Sydney 2000, gold (100m Breaststroke SB5 - Women, 100m Freestyle S6 - Women, 50m Butterfly S6 - Women), silver (200m Medley SM6 - Women, 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 20 Points - Women, 50m Freestyle S6 - Women), 5th (4 x 100m Medley Relay 34 Points - Women, 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Women)
World Championships Experience
  • Most recent: 2010 – gold (100m Breaststroke SB7 - Women, 4 x 100m Medley Relay 34 Points - Women), silver (100m Freestyle S7 - Women, 200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women, 400m Freestyle S7 - Women, 50m Butterfly S7 - Women), bronze (50m Freestyle S7 - Women), 9th (4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Women)
  • Years of participation: 100m Breaststroke SB7 - Women 2006, 2010; 100m Freestyle S7 - Women 2002, 2006, 2010; 200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women 2002, 2006, 2010; 4 x 100m Medley Relay 34 Points - Women 2006, 2010; 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Women 2002, 2010; 400m Freestyle S7 - Women 2006, 2010; 50m Butterfly S7 - Women 2002, 2006, 2010; 50m Freestyle S7 - Women 2002, 2006, 2010; 100m Breaststroke SB7 SC - Women 2009; 200m Individual Medley SM7 SC - Women 2009; 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 34 Points SC - Women 2009; 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points SC - Women 2009; 400m Freestyle S7 SC - Women 2009; 50m Butterfly S7 SC - Women 2009; 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 34 Points - Women 2006; 100m Breaststroke SB6 - Women 2002; 100m Freestyle S6 - Women 1998; 200m Individual Medley SM6 - Women 1998; 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay open - Women 1998; 50m Butterfly S6 - Women 1998; 50m Freestyle S6 - Women 1998
  • Medals: 30 (15 gold, 12 silver, 3 bronze)
    • Gold – 2010 (100m Breaststroke SB7 - Women, 4 x 100m Medley Relay 34 Points - Women); 2009 (200m Individual Medley SM7 SC - Women, 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points SC - Women); 2006 (100m Freestyle S7 - Women, 200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 34 Points - Women, 4 x 100m Medley Relay 34 Points - Women, 400m Freestyle S7 - Women, 50m Freestyle S7 - Women); 2002 (100m Breaststroke SB6 - Women); 1998 (200m Individual Medley SM6 - Women, 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay open - Women, 50m Butterfly S6 - Women, 50m Freestyle S6 - Women)
    • Silver – 2010 (100m Freestyle S7 - Women, 200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women, 400m Freestyle S7 - Women, 50m Butterfly S7 - Women); 2009 (100m Breaststroke SB7 SC - Women, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 34 Points SC - Women, 50m Butterfly S7 SC - Women); 2006 (100m Breaststroke SB7 - Women, 50m Butterfly S7 - Women); 2002 (200m Individual Medley SM7 - Women, 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Women, 50m Butterfly S7 - Women)
    • Bronze – 2010 (50m Freestyle S7 - Women); 2009 (400m Freestyle S7 SC - Women); 1998 (100m Freestyle S6 - Women)

Athlete News#

Hall Of Fame Bio #

Erin Popovich is a three-time Paralympian and 19-time Paralympic medalist, including 14 gold medals. A native from of Little Rock, Arkansas, Popovich attended Colorado State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree and competed competitively against able-body athletes on the Rams swim team. Her swimming career took off at her first Paralympic Games, where she won three gold medals and three silver medals, while setting four world records at the Paralympic Games Sydney 2000. She had another breakout performance four years later at the Athens Games, winning seven gold medals in seven races, including three world-records and four Paralympic Games records. A two-time winner of the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability, she was also named the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2005. Upon retirement, she transitioned to the administrative side of Paralympic sport. At the time of her Hall of Fame induction, she serves as the associate director of Paralympic swimming for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

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