Sportsמיכאל קולגנוב

Michael Kolganov

Michael Kolganov is an Israeli sprint kayaker who was world champion in 1998 and 1999 and won an Olympic bronze medal at Sydney in 2000.

born 1974Kayak world titles in 1998 and 1999Olympic bronze medal at Sydney 2000Israel's flag bearer in Beijing 2008

Born: 24 October 1974, Tashkent
Occupation: canoeist
Party: Israel Our Home

Michael Kolganov was born in 1974 in Tashkent

Kolganov was born in Tashkent, in the Soviet Union, and is Jewish. He started kayaking at 14, after his parents looked for a hobby to help him lose weight. His older brother Andrei was a Soviet youth champion in kayaking.

He graduated in physical education from the University of Tashkent. He moved to Israel in 1996 and trained first in Haifa, then at Hapoel Emek HaYarden while living at Degania Bet. He served in the IDF through a program for athletes.

He has competed for Israel since 1997. He won the single kayak 200 m world title in 1998 and 1999, and took bronze in the 500 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He also competed at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and carried Israel's flag at the 2008 opening ceremony.

From 2006 he raced in a double kayak with Barak Lufan, winning a European bronze in the 200 m that year. Living in Tiberias, he ran for the city council in 2008 for Yisrael Beiteinu and won a seat in 2013. In 2015 he moved to Germany after failing to find work, and he runs a beauty salon in Baden-Baden.