【Digest】曾经泳池边高大的身影正渐渐远去。。。--波波夫退役

 

Alexander Popov says good-bye to swimming

 

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Alexander Popov of Russia has retired¹ from swimming, French sportsdaily L'Equipe reported Thursday.

 

Popov, 33, made the decision after consulting with his coach and family upon returning home from the Athens Olympic Games in August, the newspaper reported. Popov won no medal in Athens, as Xinhua News reported.

 

A retirement² ceremony is being planned in Switzerland, where Popov has resided for the past two years, L'Equipe said. The newspaper cited an unidentified source in Volgograd, where Popov trained early in his career.

 

The four-time Russian Olympian won the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle at the 1992 Barcelona Games and in Atlanta in 1996.

 

His eight-year tenure⁴ as sprint⁵ champion came to an end at the 2004 Sydney Olympics when he lost his 100-meter title to Pieter van den³ Hoogenband of the Netherlands, wrote Moscow Times.

 

According to the ABC News, Australian middle-distance great Ian Thorpe acclaimed⁶ the four-time Olympic Champion as his inspiration during the Athens Olympics.

 

"I've been inspired by Alex for a number of years. I think he is the best sprinter⁷ that this sport has ever seen and I hope that is the legacy⁸ that is left behind," Thorpe said.

 

"The way that he swims and the way he has swum, it is exceptional. I think in a lot of people's mind he changed the way that we've swum races and I hope that is remembered.

 

"It has been a privilege and a pleasure to be able to compete against him."

 

 

两届奥运夺金 俄罗斯游泳名将波波夫在瑞士退役  

 

在瑞士的圣莫里茨，波波夫举行了退役仪式，来自世界各地的游泳名将济济一堂。澳大利亚鱼雷索普赠送给波波夫一块金表，上面刻着退役的字样。美国名将菲尔普斯则表示，波波夫是所有游泳选手的榜样。而包括荷兰女飞鱼德布鲁因在内的很多选手都流露出不舍之情。

 

波波夫表示，现在一切都结束了。自己在做出退役的决定之前内心经历了很长时间的挣扎，但是看到刚刚结束的世界杯俄罗斯站比赛中选手们的精彩表现，自己下决心退役了。

 

33岁的波波夫曾在1992年巴塞罗那和1996年亚特兰大奥运会上两次包揽50米和100米自由泳金牌。但是近几年泳坛新人辈出，波波夫在去年的雅典奥运会小组赛中即告失利。

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

3 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

4 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

5 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

6 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

7 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。