Sergey Pogorelov was a three-time Olympic handball player for Russia, winning a gold and bronze medal. Pogorelov earned 194 caps for Russia, scoring 446 international goals. He won gold medals at the European Championships in 1996, the 1997 World Championships, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He also won silver at the European Championships in 1994 and a bronze at the 2004 Olympics. He was elected to the All-Star team at the 1998 European Championships.
Pogorelov started his career in Russia with GK Kaustik, but moved to Germany in 1999 where he played for TBV Lemgo and then ThSV Eisenach. In 2001 he played for Ciudad Real in the Spanish First Division, helping them win the 2002 European Cup Winners’ Cup. He later played for Villeurbanne, Paris Saint-German, and BM Altea, finishing out his career with BM Algericas in 2005-08.