Gennadiy Prigoda

Who is Gennadiy Prigoda?

Gennadiy Sergeyevich Prigoda is a former freestyle swimmer from Russia, who competed twice at the Summer Olympics first for the Soviet Union in 1988, and then for the Unified Team in 1992. The sprinter won four Olympic medals: two silver and two bronze. Prigoda trained at Armed Forces sports society in Kuibyshev.

He started swimming in a club aged 7, together with his elder brother, Alexandr Prigoda, who also became a top Russian swimmer. Between 1985 and 1991, he won three medals at the world championships, five medals at the European championships, and ten national titles in freestyle and medley relay events. Gennadi Touretski considers him as his most technically gifted trainees. Prigoda retired from active swimming in 1992. He graduated with a degree in pedagogy from the Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education in Saint Petersburg, and started his own business with a travel company. He later defended PhD in pedagogy and in 2005 returned to the Lesgaft University to work as a professor of management.