Ivan Patzaichin (iˈvan paˈt͡sajkin; born 26 November 1949) is a Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

n sprint canoer

Canoe racing

This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....

 who competed from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s. Competing in five Summer Olympics, he won seven medals, more than any other competitor in the history of the Canadian canoeing

Sprint canoe

A sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...

 events. This included four gold (C-1 1000 m: 1972

1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

, C-2 1000 m: 1968

1968 Summer Olympics

The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

, 1980

1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...

, 1984

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

) and three silvers (C-2 500 m: 1980, 1984; C-2 1000 m: 1972).

He also won 22 world championship medals with nine golds (C-1 1000 m: 1973

1973 ICF Flatwater Racing World Championships

The 1973 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Tampere, Finland.The men's competition consisted of six Canadian and nine kayak events. Three events were held for the women, all in kayak....

, 1977; C-1 10000 m: 1978, C-2 500 m: 1979, C-2 1000 m: 1970

1970 ICF Flatwater Racing World Championships

The 1970 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark for the second time after hosting the event in 1950. This event was held under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation...

, 1981, 1983; C-2 10000 m: 1982), four silvers (C-1 1000 m: 1975

1975 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1975 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia for the second time, having hosted them in 1971. This also equaled the most times a city had done so with Copenhagen, Denmark ....

, C-2 1000 m: 1971, C-2 10000 m: 1981, 1983), and nine bronzes (C-1 500 m: 1971, 1973, 1974

1974 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1974 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mexico City, Mexico in neighboring Xochimilco. This marked the first time the championships took place out side of Europe. , all championships have taken place either in Europe or North America...

; C-1 1000 m: 1974, 1978, 1979; C-1 10000 m: 1974, 1977, 1979).

Born in Mila 23, Tulcea County

Tulcea County

Tulcea is a county of Romania, in the historical region Dobruja, with the capital city at Tulcea.-Demographics:In 2002, Tulcea County had a population of 256,492...

, to a Russian

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

 Lipovan family, he was a member of the Dinamo Bucharest canoe club. When he retired, Patzaichin became a coach and is now head of the Romanian national team, known as Amiralul ("The Admiral"). His pupils, including Olympic champion Florin Popescu

Florin Popescu

Florin Popescu is a Romanian sprint canoer who competed from the mid 1990s to 2005. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won two Olympic medals at Sydney in 2000 with teammate Mitică Pricop...

, have won over one hundred sprint canoe titles.