BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Following is the factbox on Maxim Opalev of Russia, who won the Olympic gold medal in the men's canoe single (C1) 500 meters on Saturday.

Age: 29 (date of birth: April 04, 1979)

Place of birth: Volgograd, Russia

Career achievements:

Gold, C1 500m, 2006 World Championships

Gold, C1 500m, 2002 World Championships

Gold, C1 500m, 1999 World Championships

Gold, C1 1,000m, 1999 World Championships

Previous Olympic results:

Silver, C1 500m, Sydney, 2000

Bronze, C1, 500m, Athens, 2004

Opalev is the strong favorite at the Beijing Games because of his consistent performances over the past years. He enjoys reading books.

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