Erin Popovich
Encyclopedia
Erin Popovich is a three-time United States
Paralympic swimmer. She has won 14 career Paralympic
gold medals, and 19 total.
, a genetic disorder that restricted the growth of her limbs. Her parents, a teacher and a physician, moved their family to Butte, Montana
when Popovich was five. During childhood, she wore braces to straighten her back and legs, and underwent about a dozen surgeries. But according to her mother, "we didn't have to make a lot of accommodations for her; we didn't want to treat her too much differently from her siblings." Popovich was interested in sports from an early age. She rode horses and played soccer and basketball
. When Popovich was 12, she joined a swim club and by the age of 15, she was competing at the 2000 Paralympic Games.
Popovich received a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University
in May 2007, and her hometown is listed as Silver Bow, Montana
.
in Athens, Popovich won seven gold medals in seven races (including two relays), and set three world records and four Paralympic Games records. In 2005, Popovich won the first ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability
and was named the Women's Sports Foundation
Sportswoman of the Year. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics
in Beijing, she won an additional four gold and two silver medals, breaking two world records (200m individual medley and 100m breaststroke) and two Paralympic records (100m and 400m freestyle). In 2009, she won the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability for the second time. Following the International Paralympic Committee
World Swimming Championships
in 2010, Popovich announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Paralympic swimmer. She has won 14 career Paralympic
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
gold medals, and 19 total.
Personal life
Popovich was born with achondroplasiaAchondroplasia
Achondroplasia dwarfism occurs as a sporadic mutation in approximately 85% of cases or may be inherited in an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that is a common cause of dwarfism...
, a genetic disorder that restricted the growth of her limbs. Her parents, a teacher and a physician, moved their family to Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
when Popovich was five. During childhood, she wore braces to straighten her back and legs, and underwent about a dozen surgeries. But according to her mother, "we didn't have to make a lot of accommodations for her; we didn't want to treat her too much differently from her siblings." Popovich was interested in sports from an early age. She rode horses and played soccer and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. When Popovich was 12, she joined a swim club and by the age of 15, she was competing at the 2000 Paralympic Games.
Popovich received a Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
in May 2007, and her hometown is listed as Silver Bow, Montana
Silver Bow, Montana
Silver Bow is a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States. It lies near the interchange of Interstate 15 and Interstate 90, near Rocker. Silver Bow is at Exit 119 off I-15, near the Port of Montana. It is well known locally as the location of the Silver Bow Twin Drive-In. Silver Bow has no...
.
Swimming career
Erin Popovich has participated in three Paralympics. She won three gold medals and three silver medals while setting four world records at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
in Athens, Popovich won seven gold medals in seven races (including two relays), and set three world records and four Paralympic Games records. In 2005, Popovich won the first ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability
Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award
The Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Outstanding Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award, has been presented annually since 2005 to the female, irrespective of nationality or sport contested, adjudged to be the best athlete with a physical disability...
and was named the Women's Sports Foundation
Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation "is an educational nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King." Its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."...
Sportswoman of the Year. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing, she won an additional four gold and two silver medals, breaking two world records (200m individual medley and 100m breaststroke) and two Paralympic records (100m and 400m freestyle). In 2009, she won the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability for the second time. Following the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
World Swimming Championships
IPC Swimming World Championships
The IPC Swimming World Championships are the world championships for swimming where athletes with a disability compete. They are organised by the International Paralympic Committee on a four year rotation with the Paralympic Games and regional championships .The first short course world...
in 2010, Popovich announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
See also
- Athletes with most gold medals in one event at the Paralympic Games