Alexei Puninski

Alexei Puninski (Croatian: Aleksej Puninski, Russian: Алексей Пунинский; born 11 January 1985) is a Russian-born Croatian former swimmer, who specialized in freestyle and butterfly events,[2] and an entrepreneur. His family moved from Russia to Croatia in 1999.[3] He represented Croatia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has claimed multiple Croatian championship titles and national records in both the freestyle and butterfly (50 and 100 m). He has also won a career total of three medals (two golds and one bronze) in a major international competition, spanning the European Junior Championships and European Short Course Championships in Helsinki, Finland, with respective times of 24.57 and 23.21.[1][4]

Alexei Puninski
Personal information
Full nameAlexei Puninski
National team Croatia
Born (1985-01-11) 11 January 1985
Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, butterfly
ClubHPK Mladost[1]
College teamAuburn University (U.S.)[1]
CoachBrett Hawke (U.S.)
Richard Quick (U.S.)[1]
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Croatia
European Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 2006 Helsinki 50 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 2003 Dublin 50 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Rijeka 4×50 m freestyle
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2002 Linz 50 m butterfly

Puninski competed for Croatia in the men's 100 m butterfly at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Leading up to the Games, he finished with a third-place time in 52.61 to dip beneath the FINA A-standard (52.86) by 0.25 of a second and earn a direct Olympic selection to the Croatian squad at the USA Swimming Grand Prix in Columbus, Ohio.[5][6] Coming from third at the halfway turn on the outside in heat six, Puninski faded down the stretch to hit the wall in dead-last with a 53.65. Puninski failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed forty-seventh overall out of sixty-six swimmers in the prelims.[7]

At the 2008 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Rijeka, Puninski set a Croatian record of 22.63 seconds in the semifinals of the men's 50 m butterfly.[8] He also won a bronze medal as a member of the Croatian team in the men's 4×50 m freestyle relay, with a time of 1:23.68.[9]

Puninski is also an eighteen-time All-American swimmer, a full-fledged member of the Auburn Tigers, and an international business graduate at the Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.[1]

References
  1. Lackner, Stefan (8 October 2008). "Getting to Know: Croatia's Alexei Puninski". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Alexei Puninski". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  3. "Omiljeni domaći bivši plivač uskoro postaje otac". Story (in Croatian). 26 January 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  4. "Russia Dominates as Euro Junior Champs Come to a Close". Swimming World Magazine. 14 July 2002. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  5. "Alexei Puninski Earns Spot On Croatian Olympic Team". Auburn Tigers. 4 April 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  6. "USA Swimming Grand Prix, Columbus: Katie Hoff Doubles Up". Swimming World Magazine. 4 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  7. "Swimming: Men's 100m Butterfly Heat 6". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  8. "2008 European Short Course Swimming Championships (Rijeka, Croatia) – Men's 50m Butterfly Semifinals" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  9. "European Short Course Championships: Three World Records Set During Finals, 2008 Total Upped to 105". Swimming World Magazine. 14 December 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
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