Michael Kolganov

Not to be confused with Mihail Kolganov.

Michael Kolganov
Personal information
Native nameМихаил Калганов
NicknameMisha
Born (1974-10-24) 24 October 1974 (age 50)
Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Sport
Country Israel
SportCanoeing
EventCanoe sprint
Medal record
Men's canoe sprint
Representing  Israel
Summer Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney K-1 500 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Szeged K-1 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1999 Milan K-1 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1998 Szeged K-1 500 m
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Zagreb K-1 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2000 Poznań K-1 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2000 Poznań K-1 500 m
Silver medal – second place 2001 Milan K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Zagreb K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Zagreb K-1 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Račice K-2 200 m

Michael "Misha" Kolganov (or Kalganov, Hebrew: מיכאל (מישה) קולגנוב, Russian: Михаил Калганов; born 24 October 1974) is a USSR-born Israeli sprint kayaker and former two-time world champion (1998 & 1999). 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 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.[2]

Early life

Mikhail Kolganov was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union. He is Jewish.[3][4][5] 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." He also dabbled in wrestling and rugby but found he enjoyed kayaking the most.[3] Kolganov's older brother Andrei also represented the Soviet Union, and was a Soviet youth champion at kayak competition.[3] Kolganov immigrated to Israel in 1996.[6]

After moving to Israel, Kolganov lived in Haifa, where he trained at the Hapoel Haifa Rowing Club before moving to kibbutz Degania Bet and continuing his training with Hapoel Emek HaYarden in the Sea of Galilee. Within a year of moving to Israel he began representing the country in international sporting events. He served in the Israel Defense Forces in the framework of a program for sporting excellence, granting him accommodations to continue to pursue kayaking during his service.[7][6]

Career

Kolganov 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 eighth in the second semifinal of the K-1 500 m. He competed on behalf of Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China,[8] and failed to advance to the final in both the K-1 500 m and K-1 1000 m events.

He also competed in the K-2. where at the 2006 European Championships in Račice, Czech Republic, he won the K2 200 m 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.

Later life

Kolganov, a resident of Tiberias, ran for the city council in the 2008 Israeli municipal elections on the Yisrael Beiteinu list. He ran again in the 2013 Israeli municipal elections and succeeded in winning a seat. In 2015 Kolganov emigrated to Germany, claiming that there was a lack of opportunities to for him find work in Israel and that he had been unemployed for months.[9] He currently lives in Baden-Baden and runs a beauty salon.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Michael Kolganov". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Kolganov to carry Israel flag in Beijing". The Jerusalem Post. 9 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Griver, Simon. "Row Michael Row". Jewish Agency for Israel. Archived from the original on 15 September 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  4. ^ Taylor, Paul (2004). Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics : with a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medallists. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 9781903900871.
  5. ^ "A Brief History of Israel at the Games". Haaretz. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c לא מה שחשבתם: החיים החדשים של קולגנוב
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference JAAFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Israel at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  9. ^ "נמאס לי"