Following is the factbox on Russian Maxim Opalev, who won the Olympic gold medal in the men's canoe single (C1) 500 meters on Saturday.

Date of birth: April 4, 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.

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2008)