Vitaliy Popovich

{{short description|Ukrainian racewalker}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

File:Popovych-Vitaliy-Ivanovych-15060424.jpg

Vitaliy Popovich ({{langx|uk|Віталій Попович}}; 22 October 1962 – 7 September 2000) was a Ukrainian male former racewalking athlete who competed in the 50 kilometres race walk. He competed in the men's 50 kilometres walk at the 1988 Summer Olympics, representing the Soviet Union, and in the same event at the 1996 Summer Olympics, representing Ukraine.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/vitaliy-popovych-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418000948/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/vitaliy-popovych-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Vitaliy Popovych Olympic Results |accessdate=9 December 2017}} He was a three-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics, with a best of fourth at the 1991 event. He also competed at five straight editions of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup from 1989 to 1997.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140327221601/http://www.iaaf.net/mm/document/competitions/competition/cheboksary2008factsfigures_2481.pdf IAAF World Race Walking Cup 1961-2006 Facts & Figures]}}. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-02-19. He set a personal best of 3:43:57 hours for the distance in 1989.[https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/ukraine/vitaliy-popovich-2309 Vitality Popovich]. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-02-19.

At national level, he won one Soviet title in 1991 and, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, took four 50 km walk titles at the Ukrainian Athletics Championships.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/urs.htm Soviet Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-19.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ukr.htm Ukrainian Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-19. On the professional circuit, he was the 1996 winner at the Dudinská Päťdesiatka.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140323151353/http://www.dudince-mesto.sk/images/propozicie_2010.pdf WINNERS OF THE DUDINSKA 50 IN WALKING]. Dudince Walking. Retrieved 23 March 2014.

Popovich committed suicide on 7 September 2000.