3,573 articles
Yury Tyukalov
Yury Tyukalov (Юрий Сергеевич Тюкалов), Soviet rower (1930–2018), first Soviet Olympic rowing champion: single sculls gold Helsinki 1952, double sculls gold with Aleksandr Berkutov Melbourne 1956, silver Rome 1960; later coach and sculptor.
Yusra Mardini (يسرى مرديني)
Yusra Mardini (يسرى مرديني), born 1998 in Damascus, is a Syrian swimmer who pushed a sinking refugee dinghy across the Aegean in 2015, then competed for the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and became UNHCR's youngest Goodwill Ambassador.
Yves Loday
Yves Loday (born 1955, Guérande, France) is a French catamaran sailor and designer, 1992 Barcelona Olympic Tornado gold medalist with Nicolas Hénard, and designer of the Extreme 40, Spitfire, Topaz, and Dart 16 catamarans.
Yvette Higgins
Yvette Higgins (born 1978, Sydney) is an Australian water polo player who won gold at Sydney 2000, scoring the winning goal with 1.3 seconds left in the Olympic debut final against the United States.
Zac Purchase
Zac Purchase (Zachary Jake Nicholas Purchase, later Purchase-Hill), born 1986 in Cheltenham, British lightweight rower; with Mark Hunter won Olympic gold in the men's lightweight double sculls at Beijing 2008 (Olympic record 6:10.99) and silver at London 2012; retired February 2014.
Zac Stubblety Cook
Zac Stubblety-Cook (Izaac Keith Stubblety-Cook, born 1999) is an Australian breaststroke swimmer, Tokyo 2020 Olympic 200m breaststroke champion, former world record-holder (2:05.95), and 2022 world and Commonwealth champion.
Zac Zorn
Zac Zorn (Zachary Zorn), American swimmer born 1947 in Dayton, Ohio; 1968 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 m freestyle relay and 100 m freestyle world record holder (52.6, 1968 US Trials), NCAA champion for UCLA.
Zach Apple
Zach Apple (Zachary Douglas Apple), American sprint freestyle swimmer born 1997 in Trenton, Ohio; two-time Olympic gold medalist at Tokyo 2020 in the 4x100 freestyle and medley relays, setting the 3:26.78 medley relay world record.
Zdeněk Škrland
Zdeněk Škrland (1914–1996), Czechoslovak sprint canoeist; with Václav Mottl won the first Olympic C2 10,000 m gold at Berlin 1936 in 50:33.5; also 1934 European and 1938 world bronze medalist.
Zdravka Yordanova
Zdravka Yordanova (Здравка Йорданова), Bulgarian rower born 1950 in Sofia; with Svetla Otsetova won the first women's Olympic double sculls at Montreal 1976, making them Bulgaria's first women Olympic champions; later sports journalist and veteran athletes' federation chair.
Zdravko Hebel
Zdravko Hebel (Здравко Хебел), Croatian water polo goalkeeper, Olympic gold medalist with Yugoslavia at Mexico 1968, Mladost Zagreb club legend, and second President of the Croatian Olympic Committee (2000–2002).
Zhang Ling
Zhang Ling (张灵, born 1997, Shanghai) is a Chinese rower, women's quadruple sculls gold medalist at Tokyo 2020; also 6th at Rio 2016 and Paris 2024. Distinct from the rhythmic gymnast Zhang Ling and tennis player Ling Zhang.
Zhang Ning (张宁)
Zhang Ning (张宁), Chinese badminton player born 1975 in Jinzhou, Liaoning; won women's singles gold at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, the only women's singles player to defend the Olympic title, with a perfect 10-0 Olympic record.
Zhang Yangyang
Zhang Yangyang (张杨杨), Chinese rower born 1989 in Jilin; won women's quadruple sculls gold at Beijing 2008 with Tang Bin, Jin Ziwei, and Xi Aihua, China's first Olympic rowing gold, and placed fifth at London 2012.
Zhang Yayi
Zhang Yayi (张雅怡), Chinese artistic swimmer born 1997 in Hunan; Paris 2024 Olympic team gold (996.1389), China's first Olympic artistic swimming title, plus 8 world championship golds.
Zhang Yifan
Zhang Yifan (张一璠), Chinese swimmer born 2000 in Baoding, Hebei; won gold in the women's 4x200 m freestyle relay at Tokyo 2020, swimming the heats; specialist in the 200 m butterfly.
Zhang Yufei
Zhang Yufei (张雨霏), born 1998, Chinese swimmer; double Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion (200m butterfly OR, 4x200 free relay WR) and six-medalist at Paris 2024; cleared 2020 TMZ doping case.
Zhao Jing
Zhao Jing (赵菁), Chinese backstroke swimmer born 1990 in Wuhan; 2008 Olympic medley relay bronze, 50 m backstroke world record 27.06 (Rome 2009), three short course world records, and world titles in 2009, 2011, and 2013.
Zhou Guanbin
Zhou Guanbin (周官彬, born 1975) is a Chinese freestyle swimmer, 1994 world champion in the 4x200m relay and 1994 Asian Games 400m freestyle winner, later banned two years for dehydrotestosterone.
Zhou Jihong
Zhou Jihong (周继红), Chinese diver born 1965 in Wuhan, won the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics women's 10m platform with 435.51 points, China's first Olympic diving gold; later national team leader and ISHOF class of 1994.
Zhu Qianwei
Zhu Qianwei (朱倩蔚), Chinese freestyle swimmer born 1990 in Shanghai; 2008 Olympic silver in 4x200 m freestyle relay, world records in that event long course (7:42.08, 2009) and short course (7:35.94, 2010).
Zhu Yingwen
Zhu Yingwen (朱颖文) is a Chinese sprint freestyle swimmer, born in 1981 in Shanghai, who won Olympic silver in the 4 × 200 meter relay at Athens 2004.
Zhuang Yong
Zhuang Yong (庄泳, born 1972 in Shanghai) is a Chinese former swimmer who won China's first Olympic swimming medal (1988 silver) and its first swimming gold, in the 100 m freestyle at Barcelona 1992.
Zivko Gocic
Živko Gocić (Живко Гоцић), born 1982 in Belgrade, Serbian water polo captain and coach: Olympic gold 2016 and bronze 2008/2012, world titles 2009 and 2015, five European golds, later Szolnok and Partizan coach.
Zoltan Domotor
Zoltan Domotor (Dömötör Zoltán, 1935-2019), Hungarian water polo player: Olympic gold Tokyo 1964, bronze Rome 1960 and Mexico 1968; scored the deciding goal against the USSR; later coached Bulgaria, Algeria, South Korea.
Zoltan Halmay
Zoltan Halmay (Zoltán Halmay, 1881–1956), Hungarian swimmer, first great swimmer of Continental Europe; nine Olympic medals 1900–1908 including 1904 sprint double golds and first official 100 m freestyle world record (1:05.8, 1905).
Zoltán Kósz
Zoltán Kósz (born 1967, Budapest) is a Hungarian water polo goalkeeper, captain of the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold-medal team; three-time Olympian (1988, 1996, 2000), two-time European champion, later a goalkeeper coach.
Zoltan Szecsi
Zoltán Szécsi (Szécsi Zoltán), born 1977 Budapest, Hungarian water polo goalkeeper, three-time Olympic champion 2000–2008, 2003 world champion; later Egri Vízilabda Klub president who declined a 2026 Fidesz parliamentary seat.
Zoltan Verraszto
Zoltán Verrasztó (Zoltan Verraszto), Hungarian swimmer born 1956 in Budapest; 1980 Olympic silver 200m backstroke and bronze 400m medley; 1975 world champion; father of Evelyn and Dávid Verrasztó.
Zona de Surf Cortadura
Zona de Surf Cortadura: surf zone of Playa de Cortadura, Cádiz, Spain; a 3,900 m natural urban beach break with shifting sandbars, the birthplace of Cádiz surfing, home to the municipal surf school.