The Russian swimmer Pankratov, who already held the world record for the 100 and 200 m butterfly stroke was, with his compatriot Popov, the star of the Atlanta games in 1996.While Popov dominated free style, Pankratov won both the 100 and 200 m butterfly stroke events. The fact remains that whilst Popov was again on the podium during the Sydney games, Pankratov had totally disappeared.