Aleksandr Portnov

Alexander Stalijewitsch Portnow (Russian Александр Сталиевич Портнов; born September 17, 1961 in Baku, Azerbaijan ) is a former Soviet- white Russian diver, who competed in springboard diving. He participated in two Olympic Games and in 1980 from the 3 -meter board Olympic champion.

Portnow began at the age of three years with the water jump. He was initially trained by his father and started for the clubs Dynamo Minsk and Spartak Minsk. He took 18 years in Moscow for the first time in the Olympic Games and celebrated part of the 3 -meter board by winning the gold medal at first its sporty greatest success. He had it lucky that he could repeat his fifth jump, which did not succeed because of disturbing noises from the adjacent swimming stadium during the jump. So he finally won against Carlos Girón and the favored Franco Cagnotto. These were protesting against the decision of the jury to have to repeat the jump. The medal ceremony was then postponed by one day and performed only after final decision in favor of Portnow. A year later, he won another international title at the European Championships in Split, he was from the 3 -meter board European champions. Finally again a year later he won bronze medal at the World Championship in Guayaquil. Portnow missed due to the boycott of the Soviet Olympic team, the 1984 Olympic Games, but it started again at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. There he reached the 3 -meter board the finale, but there had to settle for tenth place. After the Games, he ended his active career.

Between 1982 and 1988 Portnow won four national titles.