Ion Popa (rower)

Ion Popa

Personal information
Born	(1957-02-02) 2 February 1957 Romania
Height	187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Event(s)	Eight
Medal record Men's rowing Representing  Australia Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Eight World Rowing Championships 1986 Nottingham M8+
Updated on 13 September 2015.

Ion Popa (born 2 February 1957) is an Australian former World Champion and Olympic medal winning rower. He was married to fellow Australian Olympic rower, Susan Chapman.^[1]

Born in Romania, Popa defected in 1978. His senior rowing in Melbourne, Australia was initially from 1979 with the Mercantile Rowing Club and then since 1983 with the Banks Rowing Club where he has been a long-time committee man.

Popa competed for Australia at the 1983 World Rowing Championships. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Popa had rowed at seven for the Australian men's VIII bronze medal result.

At the 1986 World Rowing Championships in Nottingham, England Popa was in the seven seat of the victorious Australian men's VIII. It was Australia's first and only World Champion title in the men's VIII. That same year at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Popa won gold in the Australian men's VIII.

Popa was again a seven in the Australian men's VIII who finished in fifth place at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.^[1]

In 2010 Popa was inducted as a member of the Rowing Victoria Hall of Fame.

References

• Ion Popa at WorldRowing.com from FISA